Ghana’s Andre Ayew hit the double as Swansea secured their Barclays Premier League status with a 3-1 defeat of Liverpool on Sunday.
Andre Ayew’s brace took him into double figures for the season and Jack Cork added a beauty as Swansea, 2-0 ahead at the interval, ended a run of five straight defeats to Liverpool and claimed four successive top-flight home wins for the first time since 1982.
Christian Benteke, on as a substitute, gave Liverpool hope with his ninth goal of season, but defender Brad Smith’s dismissal 14 minutes from time for two bookable offences ended the comeback.
Ayew, playing in an unfamiliar central striking role, was Liverpool’s chief tormentor and the Ghanaian unselfishly set up Gylfi Sigurdsson for a 12th-minute shot directed straight at Danny Ward in the visitors’ goal.
Liverpool had two further warnings from Ayew before he rose above Lovren to meet Sigurdsson’s corner in the six-yard box for his ninth goal of the season, but his first since the end of January.
The Liverpool goal was under siege; Ward saving well from Cork with an outstretched right leg, Jordi Amat failing to convert with a close-range header and Jefferson Montero denied at the near post.
But Swansea’s persistence was rewarded when Cork won possession in midfield and advanced to send a wonderful curled shot past Ward from 22 yards.
It was the midfielder’s first goal of the season and only his second in 49 Swansea games, with his previous effort coming at Newcastle in April 2015.
Liverpool barely created a chance of note in the first period, although Daniel Sturridge went close with an opportunist chip on the run, and Klopp sent on Lucas and Benteke at half-time to try and remedy the situation.
Benteke made a positive impact when he shrugged off the attention of Sigurdsson at Sheyi Ojo’s 64th-minute corner and headed home.
But Liverpool’s hope was fleeting as Montero twisted and turned three minutes later to cause panic in the penalty area.
Ojo made a mess of controlling the loose ball and Ayew, who became the father of a baby girl on Friday night, found the bottom of the net to secure Swansea’s first league win by a two-goal margin since August.
Additional info from PA Sports
