Swansea City vs Blackburn Rovers. Sky Bet Championship.
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Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at the Liberty Stadium
Wednesday 11 December 2019 23:57, UK
Swansea and Blackburn shared the spoils in a 1-1 Liberty Stadium draw that saw both sides reduced to 10 men.
Danny Graham's early goal was quickly cancelled out by Andre Ayew as Swansea stopped Blackburn's four-game winning streak and generated some confidence after two successive defeats.
Both sides had a man sent off in the second half as Swans midfielder Tom Carroll and Rovers forward Bradley Dack were banished for two bookable offences.
Swansea handed a full league debut to the highly-rated teenager Ben Cabango.
The 19-year-old had become the first player born in this millennium to make a league appearance for Swansea when he came on as a substitute at Huddersfield last month.
Graham's goal drought had lasted 15 games and nearly four months, but it came to an end against his old club inside four minutes.
Corry Evans dispossessed George Byers, fed Adam Armstrong and Graham was given the freedom of the penalty area to stroke home his second goal of the season.
Swansea were level within six minutes as Ayew punished a static Rovers defence to head in Matt Grimes' corner.
Ayew was the best player on the pitch, hustling opponents out of possession and launching lightning counter-attacks that he often got on the end of.
Byers blazed over from 18 yards before Ayew robbed Tosin Adarabioyo to set up an opportunity for Sam Surridge that the striker poked just wide of the far post.
Ayew went close twice in the space of a minute, the Ghana forward flashing a 20-yard drive wide before Rovers goalkeeper Christian Walton kicked away his angled attempt.
The second half started as the first had ended with Walton foiling Ayew, while Swansea saw a strong penalty appeal waved away from the resulting corner.
Grimes' corner evaded bodies in the six-yard box before the ball struck the arm of Dack at the far post, but referee Jeremy Simpson was unmoved.
The contest tilted in Blackburn's favour after 57 minutes when Carroll, booked in the first half for tripping Armstrong, was adjudged to have brought down Lewis Travis and saw red for the first time in his career.
Swansea clearly felt a sense of injustice and there was more anger among home fans and players alike when Surridge tricked his way into the penalty area.
Surridge went to ground under Elliott Bennett's challenge but the decision was handball against the striker rather than a penalty.
The sides were evened up after 67 minutes when Dack brought down Grimes.
But it was Blackburn who almost secured victory as substitute Sam Gallagher burst through to force a fine save from Freddie Woodman.
Swansea's Steve Cooper: "I've seen the penalty decision back for handball and it's just a massive error from the referee. He knew it hit his hand - he has said that to me - and his hand isn't next to him, it's out.
"I get it if there are loads of players around him, but it's travelled 15 yards before it's hit his hand. He is going to be embarrassed when he sees it back on TV and on Sky. He'll probably be refereeing in the Conference now."
Blackburn's Tony Mowbray: "I've seen it (on video) and it [Dack's red card] is embarrassing really. I thought at the time he had stepped over the top of the ball and put his foot down on the boy's foot. But no, he sticks his backside into the lad and the lad goes over.
"It would be so out of character for Dack to do anything like that. He's got no malice in him whatsoever. It's wrong to say, but it felt like he was evening things up."
