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Blackburn logo
Championship | Gameweek 25
Mar 9, 2021 at 6pm UK
Ewood Park
Swansea logo

Blackburn
1 - 1
Swansea

Dack (37')
Rankin-Costello (53')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Ayew (41' pen.)
Cabango (68')

Steve Cooper admits Blackburn draw "could have been worse"

Andre Ayew scored his fourth penalty in as many games.

Swansea manager Steve Cooper was grateful to come away with a point as his side missed a chance to move into the automatic promotion places in a 1-1 draw at Blackburn.

Andre Ayew scored his fourth penalty in as many games to draw Swansea level moments after Bradley Dack's 37th-minute opener, but Ayew's spot-kick was the Swans' only shot on target as they were left hanging on in the second half.

The point is enough to move them level with second-placed Watford, still with a game in hand on the Hornets, and Cooper was grateful to take at least something from the game given how many chances Blackburn created.

"It could have been worse," he said. "We're a point better off with one of these games in hand. If sometimes you don't play well, you make sure you don't lose.

"I am going to focus on the positives, knowing that we can play better."

Blackburn were on the front foot from the very start, appealing for a penalty within a couple of minutes and creating chances as Dack, Ben Brereton and Tyrhys Dolan combined to good effect.

Swansea struggled to build any momentum, with Cooper admitting it was well short of the performance levels he wants – and will need to see – if they are to come out on top in what looks like a battle for second place behind Norwich in the Sky Bet Championship.

"Certainly in the first half I didn't like us at all. That's not the team I want us to be in terms of our style, our identity," he said.

"If we're going to make mistakes we've got to do it our way. That wasn't the case in the first half and it needed addressing in the second, which was a little bit better but not brilliant.

"I didn't love the game, I certainly didn't love our performance but credit to Blackburn, they played well."

Things certainly would have been worse but for the nerve of Ayew, who once again converted from the spot after Jay Fulton went down under a challenge from Sam Gallagher.

"Before the Stoke game I think we'd only had two penalties and now we're up to five," Cooper said. "I haven't seen it back, but I'm just pleased we're getting into those positions."

Asked about Ayew's conversion rate, Cooper added: "I don't want to say anything, I don't want to give it the kiss of death. We'll talk about it at the end of the season."

While Cooper was grateful to leave Ewood Park with a point, Tony Mowbray was left frustrated that a good performance was not rewarded with all three.

After a seven-game winless run came to an end at Millwall at the weekend, few would have grumbled if they had made it back-to-back victories here on the balance of play.

"I think the performance level is what we've been getting," Mowbray said.

"We've played against a decent side and were in the ascendency for most of the game. I think we deserved better.

"There was enough to suggest we could have won it, scrambling around in their six-yard box a few times, so it's a bit frustrating.

"We can beat anybody in this league and tonight we nearly beat the team who could be second."

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds26158348192953
2Burnley26141023192252
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd26166436171952
4Sunderland26148439221750
5Middlesbrough26118743321141
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom26913432211140
7Blackburn RoversBlackburn2511682823539
8Bristol City2691073330337
9Watford25114103536-137
10Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2610793840-237
11Norwich CityNorwich269984337636
12Swansea CitySwansea2697103030034
13Queens Park RangersQPR2671182934-532
14Millwall257992423130
15Preston North EndPreston2661282834-630
16Coventry CityCoventry2678113437-329
17Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2577112840-1228
18Derby CountyDerby2676133135-427
19Stoke CityStoke2669112432-827
20Luton TownLuton2674152744-1725
21Portsmouth2458113041-1123
22Hull City2658132536-1123
23Cardiff CityCardiff2558122540-1523
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2548132453-2920


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