Swansea City moved to within three points of the top four by beating Aston Villa 1-0 at The Liberty Stadium this afternoon.
Gylfi Sigurdsson's first-half free kick proved enough for the Swans to claim the three points and close in on fourth-placed West Ham United, who lost 2-0 at Chelsea earlier.
Villa dominated the second half but ultimately came up short in their bid for an equaliser.
Below, read how all of the action unfolded with Sports Mole's live commentary.
Good afternoon and merry Christmas to you and yours! I'm Shane, but you can call me Father Todd Unctuous, and I'll be guiding you through Swansea City's festive clash with Aston Villa at The Liberty Stadium.
This is my favourite day of the year: Football? Check. Bets? Check. Enough ham and turkey left over to give a horse a heart attack? Check. Let's go!
Well, was Santa Claus good to you then? If not you must better in 2015. Do you who else must be better next year? Aston Villa!
Paul Lambert's side have only won 10 of their 36 Premier League outings in 2014, and they really must string together a few wins and hope that they provide a platform to build a decent second half of the season on.
The Villans are 12th in the Premier League table, five points clear of the relegation zone in what has proven another very mixed season for them so far.
Up until November 8 they endured a SIX-game losing streak, but in fairness to Lambert and his boys they've come back really well - and the manner of their point against Manchester United last week will have done them the world of good.
Villa, who have lost just one of their last six, held United to a 1-1 draw, even after having Gabriel Agbonlahor sent off with 25 minutes left. They'll take heart from that result in South Wales today and this one could be tricky for Swansea.
Incidentally, Agbonlahor successfully appealed the decision to have his ban removed so we expect him to be involved today. Let's see if he is with a bit of team news then shall we? Why not. But first take a few minutes to see what the boys at Sports Mole HQ have had to say on this. Ah go on.
SWANSEA XI: Fabianski, Rangel, Williams, Fernandez, Taylor; Ki, Shelvey, Sigurdsson, Dyer, Montero; Bony
VILLA XI: Guzan; Hutton, Vlaar, Okore, Clark, Cissokho; Delph, Cleverley, Sanchez; Agbonlahor, Benteke
SWANSEA SUBS: Tremmel, Richards, Bartley, Carroll, Emnes, Routledge, Gomis
VILLA SUBS: Given, Bacuna, Weimann, Herd, N'Zogbia, Lowton, Grealish
Welcome back and we'll start with Swansea and looks like Garry Monk makes four changes from last week's 1-0 win at Hull City.
Wilfried Bony returns to replace Bafetimbi Gomis at the spearhead, while Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jefferson Montero also come back into midfield at the expense of Tom Carroll and Wayne Routledge. Jazz Richards also drops to the bench for right-back Angel Rangel and that's your Swansea team!
On to Villa now and Paul Lambert makes two changes I think, with Matt Lowton making way for right-back Alan Hutton, while Tom Cleverley also returns to replace Andreas Weimann after being ineligible to face parent club Manchester United.
Big Christian Benteke leads the line, with Agbonlahor in support. Further back you'll see Cleverley, Fabian Delph and Carlos Sanchez in midfield, with Hutton and Aly Cissokho providing width in wing-back roles. Ron Vlaar sits in the heart of defence beside Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore, while Brad Guzan continues in net and that's your lot.
What have we made of Swansea this season then? Pretty good I'd say. Eighth in the Premier League, six points off the top four - a deficit that could be halved if they win today! January is actually a season-defining month for the Swans and here's why:
With eight goals from 17 Premier League appearances, Wilfried Bony is far and away City's biggest goal threat, and the one they will need firing if they are to mount a serious top-four challenge.
However, the Ivory Coast international will miss a lot of club football over the next month or so due to Africa Cup of Nations commitments, leaving Bafetimbi Gomis with the goalscoring burden. Hmm.
It's fair to say that Gomis hasn't set the world alight since a summer move from Lyon, where he broke the 20-goal barrier for the last three seasons, but he's only scored once in 14 Premier League appearances and Garry Monk will need the Frenchman to thrive in the absence of Bony.
They signed Nelson Oliveira from Benfica on a six-month loan recently so, you know, Gomis is already under pressure. He's on the bench today, but he really must seize the moment if he gets on at any stage.
PREDICTION: Right, we're about 10 minutes from kickoff, but I'm too full of ham and turkey to think clearly at the moment so we'll not put too much thought into this prediction. Let's go 3-1 Swansea, with Bony scoring twice. Villa aren't bad at all these days, but their away form leaves a little to be desired. I saw them at West Brom a fortnight ago and they weren't great. So, 3-1 Swansea. There we have it.
DID YOU KNOW? Here's a little statistic to support the above prediction: Villa have only won ONE of their six Premier League games against Swansea, losing losing twice and drawing three.
Here's a good omen for Villa though, and Agbonlahor, who was supposed to be suspended for today, scored in both games against the Swans last season. Is it fate? Probably not but I'm trying to make this more dramatic than it is.
Right, both sets of players enter a rain-soaked Liberty Stadium now. Swansea players walk out holding hands with children, and Nathan Dyer's mascot is actually taller than he is!
KICKOFF: Aaaaaaaaaand we're off at The Liberty Stadium and it's absolutely p....raining very heavily. Might be a scrappy game.
Incidentally, Swansea haven't won a game on Boxing Day for six years I think - and it was against Cheltenham Town! That should contextualise their resurgence of recent time.
SHOT! We've seen our first shot and it's Neil Taylor, but it's a shot you'd expect from a left-back and it flies well over the bar.
CLOSE! Swansea well on top and they go close now, as Jefferson Montero, yet to score for Swansea, heads Nathan Dyer's deflected cross just over the bar. Good start by the Swans.
Aston Villa have done very little so far unfortunately. They've barely held the ball in Swansea's half, but it's still early days sure. I can't even imagine playing football today, after that feed last night. Boxing Day is the only day in the year I'm happy that I'm not a footballer.
CLOSE! Oh my word this is so close. Having just said that Villa haven't threatened at all, Agbonlahor flashes a fierce shot just wide of Fabianski's post. The Pole had absolutely no chance had it been on target.
Jores Okore is having a shocker and he just concedes a dangerous free kick now as Sigurdsson looks to swing it in...
GOAL!!!! SWANSEA 1-0 VILLA (SIGURDSSON)
Oh Jores Okore what have you done! The Villa defender pays the ultimate penalty for that foul, as Sigurdsson fires the free kick past Brad Guzan, who should have one or two questions asked of him then. He should've done better, but Swansea won't care. I've got the Swans in my treble so I could care less either.
Swansea fans singing 'Bony' to the tune of Hey Jude....doesn't quite work that, does it?
It's all Swansea, my friends. Villa, despite that shot earlier on, just haven't started at all.
This is a worrying sight for Swansea fans now as the lively Jefferson Montero is moving very, very gingerly, clutching his hamstring. He won the free kick that led to the goal that would be a massive blow, but Wayne Routledge is on the bench so that's a huge positive.
SUB: Yep, Montero reluctantly makes way for Routledge. The Chilean actually had tears in his eyes as he limped off, which is good to see. It's his first season in the Premier League, meaning that it's his first time not enjoying a winter break, and it's absolutely lashing rain in South Wales so it's good to see that he didn't want to come off.
BOOKING: Jonjo Shelvey goes into the book for a cynical foul on Agbonlahor. No complaints I don't think.
Villa have been really poor in this half. Really poor, to the point where they might be happy to trail 1-0 at the break. Swansea haven't been brilliant, but they are much better in this opening 27 minutes or so.
This isn't a chance, but Aly Cissokho might've done better. Cleerley's cross is too deep for Benteke, but the left wing-back pops up at the back post, but his first touch is a shocker and it trickles out for a goal kick. Might've been promising.
End to end game now and Villa have a good free kick chance after Ashley Williams upended Benteke, who looks determined to take it...
CLOSE: This is so, so, so close. It's such a poor wall by Swansea as Benteke's free kick sails through the bodies before curling away from the post at the very last moment. It's as close as Villa have come.
In fairness to Villa's defence, Wilfried Bony hasn't had a kick as of yet. Ron Vlaar has gobbled him up each and every time that he has found himself in possession.
BOOKING: Roger East flashes his second yellow card of the afternoon as Carlos Sanchez, who has been awful so far, is booked for a late challenge on Angel Rangel.
Swansea will drive a free kick into the danger zone after Ciaran Clark fouled Dyer, and captain Ashley Williams is so lucky that he's offside because he missed an absolute SITTER from the resulting set piece.
Four minutes left until the break now and Swansea very good value for their win. Aside from one or two moments, they haven't looked like being pegged back at all.
Sigurdsson fires another free kick into the box but it's comfortably taken by Guzan on this occassion. Paul Lambert needs a big team talk at the break because his side have been completely second best so far.
THREE MINUTES ADDED ON: Plenty of time for Villa to snatch a half-time draw then.
HALF TIME: SWANSEA 1-0 ASTON VILLA
So there we have it? Swansea very good value for their lead, which they acquired through Gylfi Sigurdsson's very good free kick.
Villa have done very, very little to get back into the game to be honest, with Agbonlahor and Benteke going close but apart from that it's been very uninspiring. Anyway, throw the kettle on and get the Jaffa Cakes out because we're live again in a few short minutes. Milk, no sugar. Cheers.
SUB: There's going to be a Villa change as Andreas Weimann replaces Aly Cissokho, meaning Villa change their system, too. Thank god for that.
Early days, but Villa seeing a bit more of the ball after scrapping their 5-3-2 system.
Swansea back on top in recent minutes but they're not doing much up top. Ivory Coast need Bony for the Africa Cup of Nations soon, but they might have to dig him out of Ron Vlaar's pocket because the striker has done very little in this game so far by virtue of Vlaar's man-handling.
Yep, Lambert's tactical switch in this second half is definitely paying dividends so far. They've won a free kick in a good position and Cleverley will swing it in...
Oh god. It's a wasteful free kick by Cleverley as he goes for a goal instead of lofting the ball into the box for Vlaar, Clark and all those big blokes.
SHOT: Benteke has been very quiet, but he tries to change that by wrapping his foot around the ball a la against United last week, but he never quite gets enough bend on it and the ball goes harmlessly wide.
With these wet conditions I suspected we might see Lukasz Flappyhandski surface again, but the former Arsenal keeper has done very well to pluck the odd cross out of the sky. He hasn't had any shots to save so I'm forced to praise his catching abilities.
SUB: Swansea's second sub now as Tom Carroll replaces Shelvey in the middle of midfield. Hopefully he scores or something because I've got Christmas, Carol puns for days.
SHOT! Really good run from second-half sub Weimann, going past a few white shirts but, as he's falling, swings a boot at the ball and the shot rolls into Faianski's arms. Benteke was absolutely furious, but he had every right to go for goal.
CHANCE! It's all Villa and all Weimann, but the Villa players are absolutely livid with his teammate. The second-half sub does really well to get into good area but, with three claret shirts free in the box, his cross to them is poor and Fabianski takes.
CHANCE! This is developing into a very good game and Swansea most definitely should be two-up. Ki plays a slick one-two with Sigurdsson, whose return pass is breath-takingly brilliant, but the South-Korean fires well over the bar with just Guzan to beat. Check out that Dennis Bergkamp-esque pass from Sigurdsson on Match of the Day later. Top class.
Ashley Williams is extremely lucky. Benteke plays an over-the-top ball for the pacey Agbonlahor, who runs through one-on-one with Fabianski, and Williams looks to nudge him off the ball at the decisive moment to send the Villa forward flying off balance. Roger East bottled it then. Stick-on penalty and red card in my view.
Still, Villa will be delighted at how they've responded in this half. They've been by much the better team but it remains to be seen if they can break down this Swansea defence in time. 18 minutes left.
Weimann is getting treatment now after being elbowed in the head by Ashley Williams, who is one booking away from suspension. He should've already been sent off, but that was a yellow.
Swansea look to have weathered the worst of it and they'll go in search of a second now, but if I was a gambling man, which we know I am, I'd be backing this to stay 1-0.
We're into the final eight minutes in South Wales and Swansea fans are fuming. They want a penalty after Routledge's cross brushed the arm of Ron Vlaar. I would've personally thrown my laptop away and moved to Mongolia for a year had Roger East bowed to the pressure again.
Bony has spent an extraordinary amount of time with his hands on his hips this afternoon. It's not that he's been bad, but Vlaar hasn't let him play.
BOOKING: It's getting away from Swansea a bit now and Agbonlahor goes into the book, meaning that he misses the visit of Sunderland on Sunday.
FOUR MINUTES ADDED ON:
SAVES! Two brilliant saves from Fabianski to keep Villa out at the death, with Benteke and Agbonlahor leaving it very late to test the big Pole. Top class keeping.
FULL TIME: SWANSEA 1-0 ASTON VILLA
Well, they've done it. Really good win for Swansea, albeit slightly undeserved, and they move three points away from the top four!
Well that's all we've got time for tonight, my friends. Stay tuned for player ratings, analysis and all that good stuff. Happy Christmas again and meet us back here on Sunday for NINE more Premier League games. See you then.
Written by
Shane Callaghan
Shane Callaghan
