West Ham ended Swansea's four-match winning streak with a 1-0 away success that reduced the gap at the top of the Sky Bet Championship to a single point. Divine Mukasa's calm first-half finish proved the difference on an afternoon when a new attendance record of 20,973 was set at the Swansea.com Stadium.
After West Ham's 6-0 thumping of Lincoln in midweek, this was a far more tactical affair, but the importance of the win will not be lost on boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The Hammers climb to second, above Middlesbrough on goal difference, and to within a point of Swansea, who lost at home for the first time since April.
The Welsh outfit also boasted the tightest defence in the Championship, while West Ham's 29 league goals, at a rate of almost three per game, was the highest in England's top four divisions. The first shot of any description took 34 minutes to arrive, but the Hammers made it count. Marko Stamenic was caught in possession, Pablo released Mohamadou Kante, and Kante picked out the unmarked Mukasa, who slotted home his third goal of the season.
Swansea rallied after the setback, with Ben Cabango striking the crossbar and Vigouroux making two fine saves to deny Pablo and Bowen. Ronald wasted a great chance to equalise in stoppage time. Swansea's Vitor Matos said his side had created chances from set-pieces and need to sharpen their finishing to beat the best teams.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing