Aston Villa vs Swansea match report: Tim Sherwood's tenure in jeopardy as Swans strike killer blow

Aston Villa 1 Swansea 2

Andre Ayew, scorer of Swansea's winning goal, consoles his brother Jordan, who notched Aston Villa's opener (Getty Images)

The back page of the Birmingham Mail on Saturday spelled out the importance of this game for Tim Sherwood. “This is a cup final” shouted the headline, echoing the beleaguered manager’s words.

Sadly for Sherwood, when Aston Villa were last in a cup final they were thumped by Arsenal at Wembley. Yesterday was no better and it could provide the final nail in the coffin for Sherwood amid rumours that Villa are monitoring David Moyes’s shaky position at Real Sociedad.

In a tale of two brothers, Villa took the lead through Jordan Ayew’s first goal for the club after 62 minutes but ended up being sunk by his big brother Andre, whose 87th-minute winner leaves Sherwood seemingly on the brink.

Sherwood's future at Villa Park is now hanging by a thread

It was the sixth straight league defeat for a Villa side who have taken just one point from their last nine games and the fact it came against a Swansea side who had not won since August says everything about their woes.

When asked whether he expected to be in charge for Villa’s next games – Southampton in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday then a visit to Tottenham on Monday week – Sherwood replied: “I’m not the person to ask. I feel like the club is in a hole.”

Hope had flickered briefly for Sherwood just after the hour when, moments after Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan had smothered a shot from Andre Ayew, Villa swept forward and took the lead through his brother. Leandro Bacuna supplied Gabriel Agbonlahor who chipped a cross to the far post where Jordan stooped to head in.

It was all downhill from there. Six minutes later, Gylfi Sigurdsson went down under a challenge from Micah Richards, picked himself up and curled a brilliant free-kick past Guzan. Then, with three minutes remaining, Kyle Naughton delivered a brilliant low cross and Swansea’s Ayew struck.

There were boos at the final whistle and an apparent tunnel bust-up between Villa captain Richards and Swansea defender Federico Fernandez.

Swansea boss Garry Monk had been the subject of paper talk himself this week and had sympathy for Sherwood. “It can turn very quickly,” he said. “I have experienced that this week from practically nothing.”

Gylfi Sigurdsson's celebrates levelling for the visitors (Getty Images)

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Guzan; Hutton, Richards, Lescott, Richardson; Bacuna, Gana; Ayew, Grealish (Gil, 74), Agbonlahor (Adama, 85); Gestede.

Swansea (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Ki, Shelvey (Cork, 85); Ayew, Sigurdsson, Montero (Barrow, 76); Gomis (Eder, 90).

Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Man of the match: Ayew (Swansea)

Match rating: 6/10