Tymon stunner gets Swansea City up and running
Josh Tymon's stunning volley inspired Swansea City to their first win under Vitor Matos as they eased past fellow Championship strugglers Oxford United at the Swansea.com Stadium.
The Swans took the lead just before half-time through Marko Stamenic, who converted a typically pinpoint delivery from Tymon, who then doubled the lead a few minutes later with a sensational first-time effort.
Oxford, for the the most part, were admittedly poor, but this victory was nevertheless an important one for Matos, who will now be hoping his side have turned a corner as they bid to pull away from the Championship dropzone.
The Swans move ahead of Oxford to 20th in the table, three points ahead of Tuesday night's opponents Portsmouth.
While Tymon will get many of the plaudits, Ethan Galbraith looked Swansea's most likely source of inspiration during what was otherwise a pretty forgettable opening 20 minutes.
Zan Vipotnik flicked a header wide from the Northern Irishman's teasing cross, with the Slovenian then lashing the ball into the net around 10 minutes later, only to be denied by the offside flag.
Galbraith, starting at right-back in the absence of Josh Key, whistled an effort narrowly over the bar from 30 yards as Swansea continued to grow into the game.
And their efforts would eventually be rewarded five minutes from the interval.
A teasing freekick from Tymon found Stamenic at the far post, and the New Zealander duly nodded home for his first Swans goal.
It's the first time Swansea had scored from a setpiece all season and, incredibly, an Eom Jisung freekick would inspire a sensational second on the stroke of half-time.
Michael Hellik initially flicked the Korean's delivery away, but it would fall kindly for Tymon, who unleashed an unstoppable first-time volley on the edge of the area to send the ball rocketing into the top corner of the net.
His team-mates were visibly stunned, and it's fair to say the left-back's unlikely to ever hit a strike as sweetly ever again.
There was nothing sweet about Hellik's strike at the other end just after the break, mind; his tame scuffed shot comfortable for Lawrence Vigouroux, who had very little to do for much of the afternoon.
Eom continued to look lively down the left hand side for the hosts, but could only drill a hopeful low short into a forest of bodies just before the hour after cutting in from the left.
Oxford boss Gary Rowett made four changes in a bid to try and get his side back in it, and one of those subs, Will Lankshear, spurned a decent chance to get his side back in it, heading Brian De Keersmaeker's cross wide of the far post.
Lankshear then dragged a speculative effort wayward as Vigouroux continued to be something of a bystander, although his opposite number had to be alert to gather Galbraith's strike from outside the box 15 minutes from time.
Vigouroux was called into action late on, getting down well to keep Ole Romenij's low effort out with his legs, before parrying De Keersmaeker's rasping effort from distance in stoppage time.
Swansea would hold out for their first clean sheet since October and, in the process three hugely important points to get the Matos era up and running.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux, Ethan Galbraith, Ben Cabango (captain), Cameron Burgess, Josh Tymon; Goncalo Franco (Liam Cullen 79), Marko Stamenic, Melker Widell (Kaelan Casey 71); Ronald, Jisung Eom (Adam Idah 79); Zan Vipotnik (Zeidane Inoussa 71).
Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Jay Fulton, Malick Yalcouye, Manuel Benson, Sam Parker.
Full-time
That's much more like it.
The Vitor Matos era is up and running!
Great save Vigouroux
Parries away Der Keersmaeker's rasping effort from distance.
2-0
Final sub for the Swans
Galbraith makes way for Fulton.
Another excellent performance from the Northern Irishman.
Five minutes added on here, by the way.
2-0.
Good save Vigouroux
Romenij denied by the legs of the Swans keeper!
Really good save.
2-0.
Not quite
Inoussa squares to Galbraith on the edge of the box.
He looks to backheel it on, but there's no one there and the chance is gone.
2-0.
Cullen has a go
Just outside the box, but he can't keep it down.
2-0.
Oxford sub
Currie replaced by Leigh.
2-0.
More subs for Swansea
Franco and Eom make way for Cullen and Idah.
2-0
Galbraith's shot is gathered
Hit from just outside the box, but it's straight at the keeper.
2-0.
Booking
Currie into the book for a robust challenge on Franco.
2-0.
Dragged wide
Lankshear drags a shot wide from distance.
2-0
Double change for Swansea
Casey and Inoussa replace Vipotnik and Widell.
2-0
Headed wide
Lankshear looks to get on the end of De Kersmaecker's cross, but heads it wide.
2-0.
Stamenic snaps at it
Looks to scissor an effort goalwards, but sends it sky high.
Vipotnik tries to gather the rebound at the far post, but sends it into the side-netting.
2-0
Ronald wins a corner
He's another who's had a decent game.
2-0.
Subs for Oxford
Krastev makes way for Prelec.
Mills makes way for ter Avest.
Luke Harris replaced by Romenij.
Mark Harris leaving the field for Lankshear.
Franco booked
Penalised for a trip on Krastev.
Central position around 30 yards out.
Think they'll go for goal here.]
Straight into the wall.
2-0
Eom cuts inside
From the left as he so often does.
Shoots near the edge of the box, but doesn't quite catch it right and it bobbles wide.
2-0.
Heavens have opened
Absolutely horrid conditions out there.
2-0.
Hellik scuffs one
Ball into the box squeezes through a crowd of players, and the Oxford skipper scuffs a tame shot from close range straight at Vigouroux.
2-0
Swansea happy to let Oxford have the ball for a bit
Don't really look under any real threat from the visitors at the moment.
2-0
Widell back on
Widell down
Not entirely sure what's happened there. He's claiming he's been hit in the face by an Oxford player.
2-0.
Blocked
Corner's initially dealt with before Eom gets a shot away.
Blocked.
2-0
Another Swans corner
Eom wins it again.
He's played really well so far.
2-0
Second half
Half-time
That's the end of the first half.
GOAL! Swansea City 2-0 Oxford (Tymon)
Oh my goodness.
What a goal that is.
Eom's corner is initially headed away by Hellik, but it drops for Tymon on the edge of the box.
Hits it first time on the volley and it flies into the top corner.
Hands on heads in disbelief all over.
A sensational strike.
Skewed wide
Not a great effort from Vaulks.
Low effort is well wide.
1-0
Tymon and Harris in the book earlier
Both Josh Tymon and Mark Harris were booked for that earlier incident, by the way.
1-0.
Swansea have another corner
Ronald geeing up the crowd after winning it.
Comes to nothing.
Three minutes added on.
1-0
Bit of handbags
Tymon and Harris involved.
Couple of yellow cards shown, but not sure to whom yet.
All getting a bit lively.
1-0
GOAL! Swansea City 1-0 Oxford United (Stamenic)
Swansea have scored from a setpiece.
This is not a drill.
Tymon's freekick curled towards the far post and Stamenic nods home for his first goal of the season.
1-0
Eom fouled again
Not sure why there's not been a card yet.
Eom fouled yet again.
Freekick on the left near the corner of the box to come.
0-0.
Corner
Another Swans corner.
Cleared only as far as Galbraith, who lets fly from 30 yards.
Whistles over the bar.
0-0
Galbraith trying to make something happen
He's the best player on the pitch at the moment. Glides past two defenders before looking to dink a ball over the top.
Just too hard.
0-0.
Ball's in the net!
Vipotnik lashes home after Galbraith tees him up.
Flag's up.
0-0
Eom and Tymon linking up quite well
The former slips in the latter down the left and the low cross is taken away from the toes of Franco inside the box by an Oxford defender.
0-0
Oxford corner
Vaulks with the long throw, and Burgess gets uo to clear, but Oxford come back.
Cross comes in and Cabango puts it behind.
Corner's delivered low, Vipotnik misses his clearance and it's hooked into the arms of Vigouroux.
0-0.
Another corner
Yet again won by Galbraith, who's been everywhere so far.
Corner delivered into the far post, where Cabango tries to knock it back in.
Eom gathers and sends a cross towards the far post, but it's just beyond the crowd of bodies.
Goal kick.
0-0
Hoofed clear
Corner's thumped away by the Oxford defence.
Think it was Hellik who got onto that.
0-0.
Galbraith shining once again
Wins a corner for his side.
Some good work too from Eom to hold the ball up.
0-0
Just wide!
Vipotnik flicks a head narrowly wide following Galbraith's cross after he linked up nicely with Tymon.
Really good work from the Northern Irishman in the build-up to that move.
0-0
Break in play
Hellik is receiving treatment after going down.
Home crowd not happy about it as Swansea are in possession.
0-0
Swans corner
Swansea starting to settle now.
Corner's curled into the near post but Oxford clear.
Swansea may well look to build back again, however.
0-0
Over
Ronald wins a freekick near the corner of the area.
Freekick's played short and then in from Eom and Cabango gets a head on it.
Over.
0-0
Tymon's shot!
That's better from Swansea.
Vipotnik sprays out wide to Eom, and he gets away down the left before slipping in Tymon.
Drills it in at the near post. Not sure if that's shot or cross but it's parried away.
Ronald looks to get on the rebound before going down under pressure from Currie.
Nothing given.
Oxford then go back up the other end and Mills lashes wide.
0-0
Comes to nothing
Comes off a Swans head and then a bit of head tennis follows.
Not a lot of quality from either side yet.
0-0
Oxford win a freekick
Come after Widell was dispossessed.
Midway inside the Swans half here.
0-0.
Ronald strays offside
Swansea starting to see more of the ball now, but not doing much with it at the moment.
0-0
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