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Fernando Llorente steals three points for Swansea with late winner over fellow relegation candidates Burnley

Swansea 3 Burnley 2: Andre Gray scored twice to keep the Clarets in contention

Graham Clutton
at the Liberty Stadium
Saturday 04 March 2017 17:48 GMT
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Llorente looks to be flourishing since Paul Clement took charge of the Swans
Llorente looks to be flourishing since Paul Clement took charge of the Swans (Getty)

Fernando Llorente scored a dramatic injury time winner for Swansea City to deny Burnley.

The Spanish striker leapt to head home his second goal of the game for his 11th of the season – a suitable finale to a wonderfully enthralling match.

It snatched victory for the Swans, who had trailed 2-1 after another brace of goals, one a penalty, for striker Andre Gray.

Martin Olsson’s equaliser for Swansea had earlier pegged Burnley back and Sean Dyche’s side are still seeking their first away Premier League victory of the season.

Llorente opened the scoring for Swansea in South Wales (Getty)

Gray’s penalty – awarded by referee Anthony Taylor for a highly dubious handball – had cancelled out Llorente’s opener in a pulsating first-half.

Gray then put Burnley into a 2-1 lead, but after Olsson had fired home to make it 2-2 in the 69th minute it was Burnley who succumbed.

After four appearances as a substitute, Swansea gave a first start to Luciano Narsingh, their £4m January signing from PSV Eindhoven, and the Dutchman caused Burnley problems from the opening minute.

He also drew the first yellow card and opened the way for Swansea’s first clear-cut opportunities after nine minutes.

Stephen Ward found himself caught the wrong side of Narsingh and was the first name in the book when he pulled back the forward 35 yards from goal.

From the free-kick, delivered with customary precision by Gylfi Sigurdsson, centre-back Alfie Mawson rattled the crossbar with a firm header.to clear and when Leroy Fer squared a pass across to Mawson, the defender was again denied by the woodwork as the ball struck the foot of the post with goalkeeper Paul Robinson – in for illness victim Tom Heaton – well beaten.

Gray put Burnley level before half time (Getty)

Swansea did not have to curse their poor fortune for long, however. A minute later – and before Burnley’s defenders had fully time to clear their heads – Fernando Llorente put the home side 1-0 ahead with a stunning finish.

Fer was released down the right flank and the midfielder rounded Ward at pace before crossing into the penalty area where Llorente outjumped Matthew Lowton to power a downward header past Robinson.

It was the Spanish striker’s 10th goal of the season and reminiscent of his goal at Anfield in the 3-2 victory over Liverpool last month.

Swansea, though, do not have a minus 25 goal difference without reason and when the visitors pressed they were encouraged to feel as though an equaliser may arrive sooner rather than later.

Andre Gray – comfortably the liveliest of Burnley’s forwards – turned Federico Fernandez on the edge of the penalty box and his curling effort looked bound for the top right-hand corner until Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski made an athletic save.

Swansea defended the corner at the expense of another and it was from the second set-piece that Burnley gained a controversial equaliser in the 19th minute.

Mawson challenged for the cross under pressure from Sam Vokes and after the ball appeared to strike an arm, referee Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty.

Gray beat Fabianki down the middle of the goal from the spot, but replays showed it was Vokes who had handled the ball.

Gray followed up from his earlier penalty with a second goal to put the Clarets ahead (Getty)

Swansea channeled their bitter protests into something more likely to regain their advantage and a from a series of sweeping, rapid attacks they again peppered Robinson’s goal.

Martin Olsson had a shot parried away, Sigurdsson’s effort was dragged inches wide of the post, and Llorente headed against the bar. But, somehow, Burnley held on through the siege until half-time.

Sigurdsson was the first to go close after the re-start, but Burnley defender Ben Mee managed to clear the ball off the line after Robinson had been beaten.

The home side continued to dominate and they struck the woodwork for the fourth time when Llorente’s header shaved the edge of the post from a cross by Tom Carroll.

Mee and Fer both committed fouls that took them into the referee’s book as the temperature rose, before Burnley took a shock lead with their first attack of the half on the hour mark.

A long ball was headed down by Vokes to Gray and the striker showed true instinct in turning and firing home in one movement from 15 yards.

At 2-1 ahead, Burnley must have felt they were on their way to their first away win of the season, but Swansea are made firmer stuff under Paul Clement than they were in the days of Bob Bradley.

In the 69th minute, the hugely impressive Olsson started the move that ended with the full-back latching onto Sigurdsson’s flick to smash the ball past Robinson to make it 2-2.

Olsson continued to torment Burnley with his overlapping and crosses and he had further reward two minutes into added time.

His ball put Carroll into space and the midfielder’s cross was met with another trademark header by Llorente for an emphatic winner.

The late goal was a result of Swansea using their hard luck as motivation, revealed Clement after the game.

Llorente's late header sent manager Paul Clement sprinting down the touchline in celebration (Getty)

He said: “We hit the post, bar and had a penalty given against us that wasn't. But we dealt with that and used it all as motivation.

“But we got back in it and pushed and pushed and pushed until the very end. There was only one result that we wanted today and nothing else would have done.

“Fortunately the penalty was early in the game. There is nothing you an do once it is given. But you just have to go on and do as well as you can.

“I am behind video technology 100 per cent. I feel for the referees. I referee games in training and I have to guess some of the times. It is hard in real time to get things correct.

“What is bizarre is that the referee and officials are the only people in the ground who don't get the benefit of replays. And they are the ones who need it the most.

“I spoke to him at half time and he said he had made, in his opinion, an honest decision and I don't doubt that. But it was a mistake."

Burnley manager Dyche said believed Swansea should not have had the opportunity to score their winner, saying: “The one at the end was a foul. To have a hand that big in your back is a foul.

“I must make it clear I thought they were the better side in the first half, but we calmed it down in the second half.

“We would have nicked a good point had we have held on. And we would have taken that. But we didn't and inevitably we are frustrated especially when it is a clear foul.

“They are a good side and I said that before. A change of manager can change things and I am surprised they are where they are. But that's the madness of football."

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