Swansea City edged a point clear of the Premier League relegation zone, despite them failing to beat fellow strugglers Middlesbrough at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, with the game finishing a 0-0 draw.
Paul Clement’s men had the better of the proceedings on the day but, with striker Fernando Llorente out injured, could not break a resolute visiting rearguard. Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jordan Ayew forced saves from Victor Valdes in the Boro goal but could not open the scoring, with the visitors rarely threatening in attack.
The dour draw meant Swansea’s winning streak at home ends at three games, and they are just one point and one place above the drop zone ahead of the midweek game against Tottenham. Here is how the Swansea players fared on the day:
Swansea Player Ratings
Lukasz Fabianski – 7/10
Put in a solid display in goal. Showed good command when collecting crosses and showed smart reaction to snuff out a chance for Alvaro Negredo in the second period.
Kyle Naughton – 6/10
Looked in trouble in the early stages of the game with Gaston Ramirez and Fabio doubling up on him, but remained solid and got forward on quite a few occasions as well.
Federico Fernandez – 6/10
Was strong in his aerial duels and coped well against the threat that Boro offered on the counter. However, distribution from the back wasn’t up to the mark.
Alfie Mawson – 7/10
Calm and composed at the back, the summer signing was physical and used his strength well when needed. Was caught on the wrong side of Negredo on one occasion, but recovered well.
Martin Olsson – 7.5/10
Returned to the playing XI from injury and added an extra dimension to the Swansea attack with his forward forays, while never getting exposed defensively.
Jack Cork – 6/10
The captain shielded his defence well especially when Boro threatened to break on the counter. But lacked the creativity and the imagination to help out in attack.
Tom Carroll – 6/10
Lacked his usual dynamism at times in the game. But displayed some decent interplay and sent some good deliveries into the box, but to no avail without Llorente.
Leroy Fer – 7/10
Was busy throughout the game as his runs from the midfield drove Swansea forward. Was let down by his touch on a few occasions. Booked early in the game.
Luciano Narsingh – 6/10
Started the game well and asked some questions of Boro left-back Fabio. But the end product wasn’t there and showed a lack of touch when put through.
Jordan Ayew – 6/10
Looked more effective than his previous outings for the club and forced Valdes into a save. However, did not threaten the Middlesbrough defence enough.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7/10
Looked the most likely to score for Swansea, but was isolated for long parts of the game. Forced a couple of saves from Valdes.