Tammy Abraham fires Swansea City to their first home win of the season against sloppy Huddersfield
Swansea City 2 Huddersfield Town 0: Two goals either side of half-time from forward Abraham saw off Huddersfield at the Liberty Stadium
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Your support makes all the difference.Tammy Abraham scored twice to give Swansea City a much-needed first home win of the season and continue the decline of Huddersfield’s early season form.
The on-loan Chelsea striker struck three minutes before and then three minutes after half-time and his four Premier League goals this season already underline his value to a team who had lost their previous three matches at the Liberty Stadium.
For Huddersfield, their bushy-tailed optimism of August already seems a distant memory as this was their sixth league match without a win and their fourth successive game in all competitions without scoring.
Swansea began like a team eager to make amends for their succession of home defeats, but Leroy Fer showed a lack of control to temper his enthusiasm and took the first yellow card in not much more than a minute.
The Dutch midfielder scythed through the right-hand side of Huddersfield’s penalty box, but when he over-ran the ball, his lunge at goalkeeper Jonas Lossl brought a booking.
Lossl remained under siege, of the more conventional kind, for the opening period and moments later had to produce an excellent save to deny Tammy Abraham.
The England U21 striker was released by a lob over the top from Tom Carroll, but his sharp half-volley as finger-tipped away for a corner.
The set-piece brought another scare for Huddersfield as a scramble in the box ended with Jordan Ayew’s shot ricocheting off a defender and just past the post.
The Terriers slowly began to settle, with Tom Ince behind their most creative forays, although Belgian striker Laurent Depoitre lacked support.
When the visitors did start to commit players forward, though, Swansea appeared vulnerable and the chances arrived.
Elias Kachunga forced Lukasz Fabianski into a save at his near post from an acute angle before Rajiv van la Parra’s teasing cross from the left on the half hour mark fell to the feet of Ince, who should have done far better than balloon the ball over.
Moments later, Swansea were caught again – this time from a route one long clearance by Lossl. Alfie Mawson and Federico Fernandez both let the ball sail beyond them, leaving Martin Olsson to pursue Ince.
The Swedish defender clattered into Ince and was fortunate when referee Paul Tierney waved away penalty appeals that appeared well-founded.
It proved a significant decision as Huddersfield fell a goal behind three minutes before the break, although it was completely of their own making.
Lossl had time and space to launch a clearance but played a stray pass straight to Carroll, 30 yards from goal.
The Swans midfielder calmly squared the ball into the box where Ayew wisely let it roll into Abraham’s path and the on-loan Chelsea striker side-footed home from 15 yards for the opening goal.
Jonathan Hogg and Zanka both took yellow cards for fouls before the break and at the interval Huddersfield manager David Wagner replaced Hogg with Aaron Mooy.
But it was Swansea who were quicker out of the traps and they went 2-0 ahead through Abraham’s second goal in the 48th minute.
Luciano Narsingh cut inside from the right and had too much pace for a clean tackle from a Huddersfield defender, forcing Mooy to merely toe-end the ball into the path of Ayew.
The Ghanaian coolly lifted the ball over the advancing Lossl and Abraham swooped to emphatically ram the goal-bound chip into the net from less than a yard.
Things looked bleak for Huddersfield and they were not made brighter when Phillip Billing was carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury just before the hour.
Swansea looked more likely to create a third goal, than the Terrires appeared of making a response and Abraham was only narrowly short of connecting to a Narsingh cross for his hat-trick.
Wagner sent on Danny Williams and his energy helped create an opening for Depoitre, but the Belgian couldn’t beat Fabianski from five yards.
With the game now stretched, Abraham almost got on the end of another cross – this time from substitute Nathan Dyer – before a Van La Parra shot from 20 yards was deflected onto the top of the Swansea bar.
But Swansea held firm without much further discomfort for their first home win after previous defeats in front of their own fans to Manchester United, Newcastle and Watford.
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