Swansea complete first-ever league double over Manchester giants with 2-1 victory at home
Swansea: Swansea completed their first-ever league double over Manchester United to dent the Red Devils’ hopes of finishing in the Champions League places.
The Welsh club had won 2-1 at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season but a repeat looked unlikely when Ander Herrera fired United into a 28th-minute lead.
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Robin Van Persie (left) and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United react after Swansea scored their second goal at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday. PIC/Getty Images
But Ki Sung-yueng equalised within two minutes and Jonjo Shelvey’s 73rd minute strike — which took a crucial deflection off team-mate Bafetimbi Gomis -- gave Swansea only a second win in eight English Premier League attempts as they prevailed 2-1.
Out of top 4
United manager Louis van Gaal had claimed his side were the best in the top flight on current form after losing only once in 19 games in all competitions but performances have rarely matched results and this will do little for their ambitions of finishing in the top four.
Swansea started by changing their system with a diamond matching United’s as Wayne Rooney again operated up front for the visitors with Robin van Persie replacing the misfiring Radamel Falcao following the FA Cup victory at Preston.
United were nearly the architects of their own downfall inside five minutes when Marcos Rojo’s poor pass set up Gylfi Sigurdsson’s blocked shot and a corner from which Swansea almost profited.
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