Premier League Match Report: Michael Laudrup promises to stick to his guns after Swansea draw with Reading

Swansea 2 Reading 2

Michael Laudrup has vowed that his Swansea side will be sticking to their passing game and not resorting to long-ball tactics in their search for points after they salvaged a draw against Reading on Saturday.

"Given the way we play, it could be easier if we just played direct every time," Laudrup said. "When you lose games and the confidence is not the highest, it would probably be easier to just pump the ball up there to the two up front and see what happens. But it is not the way we play and we will continue playing as we do. We just have to remember all the things we have to do – the movements, the tempo – as we did in the second half.

"When you see how we played in that second half, and for part of the first half, then you see we have a very good team. We have to do it this way, otherwise we will struggle."

The Swans went into Saturday's match at the Liberty having lost their previous three top-flight games, and looked set for another defeat when first-half goals from Pavel Pogrebnyak and Noel Hunt put the visitors in charge.

Those strikes had come against the run of play, though, and the home side continued to pressurise after the break, eventually salvaging the draw thanks to Michu's diving header and a fierce Wayne Routledge effort.

Indeed, had it not been for the heroics of Royals goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, Swansea's continual attacking would have yielded further goals and probably all three points.

But Swansea, while looking dangerous in attack, are vulnerable at the back. "This was one of the key issues before the game – to try to get a clean sheet," Laudrup said.

"It is now six [in a row where they have conceded two or more] with the Crawley game [in the Capital One Cup], so it is too many games. If you have to score three goals to win, or two to draw, that is too much."

Match facts

Swansea: VORM 5/10; RANGEL 6; CHICO 6; WILLIAMS 6; DAVIES 6; KI 6; MICHU 6; BRITTON 6; DYER 6; GRAHAM 6; ROUTLEDGE 7

Reading: McCARTHY 8; SHOREY 6; GORKSS 6; MARIAPPA 6; CUMMINGS 6; McANUFF 6; KARACAN 6; TABB 6; KEBE 5; POGREBNYAK 6; HUNT 6

Goals: Sw Michu 71, Routledge 78. Rea Pogrebnyak 31, Hunt 44. Subs: Sw Moore 7 (Graham, 45), Her- nandez 6 (Dyer, 62), De Guzman (Michu, 87). Rea Roberts 5 (Hunt, 71), Le Fondre (Pogrebnyak, 80), Robson-Kanu (Tabb, 89). Booked: Sw Michu. Rea Mariappa, Tabb, Roberts. Man of match McCarthy. Match rating 8/10. Poss: Sw 71%. Rea 29%. On target: Sw 10. Rea 5. Ref M Dean (Cheshire). Att 20,336.