More work to do for Swansea, says first-team coach Alan Curtis

Alan Curtis thinks there is still work to be done in Swansea's bid to stay up despite opening up a nine-point gap to the relegation zone following victory against Norwich.

Swansea's first-team coach took charge against Norwich in the continued absence of Francesco Guidolin and he saw his side secure back-to-back league wins after victory at Arsenal in midweek.

Gylfi Sigurdsson was the match-winner for the home side but despite the nine-point gap to Norwich in 18th, Curtis says Swansea, who face Bournemouth and Aston Villa in the coming weeks, still need more to secure their top-flight status.

"It was crucial. The Arsenal game was a huge bonus but we underlined that result in midweek with another massive three points," Curtis told Sky Sports.

"We stressed that there's more to do straight after the game. 

"It's great that we have that little bit of a buffer but we've got another two massive games coming up.

"We go down to Bournemouth and then play Aston Villa and if we get two positive results then we are more or less there.

"But there's still a huge amount of work to do."

Norwich pushed right until the final whistle and could have secured a point as chances fell to Nathan Redmond and Patrick Bamford in the closing stages.

However, Curtis was full of praise for his side's character as they held on for a crucial three points.

He said: "We almost threw it away at the end. Norwich threw men forward and they are probably a bit unlucky to get something at the end. Whether it was deserved or not they created a few chances.

"Thankfully we held in there and sometimes you have to dig deep and show character.

"To be fair we showed the ability and the character within the group."

Swansea boss Guidolin has now missed his side's last two matches as he bids to recover from a chest infection.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Curtis admitted he expected the Italian to be back for the clash with Norwich but thinks he will be feeling much better after Swansea's performance.

"[Guidolin] got in touch through one of the coaches to congratulate everybody on a big three points," Curtis added.

"I imagine he will feel a lot healthier after that performance."

When asked if Guidolin will be back in the dugout for his side's match against Bournemouth, Curtis said: "I hope so. I thought he'd be back for today's game but I think he's due to leave the hospital on Monday.

"It may be a couple of days before we see him in training but hopefully he'll be ok for next weekend."