Swansea City manager praises impact of these two players after Blackburn win

Swansea City pulled off an unlikely upset as they beat promotion chasing Blackburn Rovers 1-0 in Wales on Saturday. 

The hosts came into the game having won just three of their last ten games and not scoring in their previous four.

It was Michael Obafemi’s header in the first half that seperated the sides as he scored from a Jamie Paterson cross, giving the Swans something to battle for.

Their win was all the more impressive as they were down to ten men after Ryan Manning was sent off for a second yellow in the 53rd minute.

But manager Russell Martin praised Obafemi and Paterson – back in the side after a dispute around the extension of his contract – for their contributions for the game, as he spoke to the media.

Reflecting on Paterson’s return, the Swansea boss said: “We spoke about it before as a group of staff and I was pretty confident he would be welcomed positively because of what he’s done this season.

“He’s one of the bravest players we have. I’m just delighted he’s back and I’m delighted we’ve been able to maintain a brilliant relationship.”

Commenting on matchwinner Obafemi, Martin said: “His positioning has been great, something we work on a lot and his finish is really nice, and more importantly what he’s put in for the team over recent weeks has been really great.

“He deserved that today. I’m really pleased for him. It takes some people longer than others to feel settled.”

The win now puts more breathing space between Swansea and the bottom three, increasing the gap to 15 points, ahead of their trip to face Stoke City on Tuesday night..

The Verdict

It was a positive result from Swansea, much needed after their run of form of late.

Not only that, but they defended resolutely throughout and dug deep for the