Swansea Vs Bristol City — Vipotnik strike hands Swans a 1-0 win
Swansea moved to within three points of the Championship play-off places after Zan Vipotnik's first-half strike proved enough to beat Bristol City 1-0 in the lunchtime fixture at the Swansea. com Stadium in the swansea vs bristol city clash.
Swansea Vs Bristol City — Vipotnik’s finish settled a tight game
Vipotnik finished a driven cross from Gustavo Nunes to score his 18th Swansea goal this season and his 16th in the Championship, volleying home from close range after Neto Borges deflected the ball across his own area; Sky's match timeline placed the strike in the 26th minute. The goal was Swansea’s only clear-cut chance and it proved decisive as the visitors pushed for an equaliser but left South Wales empty-handed.
Visitors created the better chances but were denied
Bristol City were the more menacing side for long spells: Sinclair Armstrong nutmegged Swansea captain Ben Cabango and saw an early near-post effort crash against the woodwork, and Emil Riis curled a 25-yard attempt onto the far post late in the game. Tomi Horvat also dragged a long-range shot wide, while Delano Burgzorg and Armstrong both forced saves from Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux in the second half. The Robins slipped to a fifth defeat in their past 10 league outings and remain ninth in the table, one point outside the top six.
Team changes, line-ups and home form that carried Swansea
Swansea made three changes to their side for the lunchtime kick-off: Jay Fulton, Gustavo Nunes and Melker Widell came into the starting XI after the defeat at Derby County; Marko Stamenic missed out through suspension. Lawrence Vigouroux started in goal behind an unchanged back four of Ethan Galbraith, Ben Cabango (captain), Cameron Burgess and Josh Tymon, with Fulton and Widell joining Goncalo Franco in midfield and Jisung Eom and Nunes on the flanks. The Championship’s leading scorer, Zan Vipotnik, led the Swansea attack from the front.
The result extended Swansea’s excellent run at home — their seventh win in eight home second-tier matches — and lifted them to 14th in the table. Attendance at the Swansea. com Stadium was recorded at 18, 009 for the match.
What the win means next
Swansea are back at home on Tuesday when Preston North End visit the Swansea. com Stadium; that fixture is all but sold out, and the club noted that a high-profile co-owner will be in attendance. If Matos' side can deliver another home victory against Preston North End, their push toward the play-off places will continue to gather pace.
