Total FootballTotal Football
Swansea’s fine
start does not
surprise new
coach Cooper
Swansea City
Naughton 63, Celina 68, Baston 75 pen^3
Birmingham City
0
Att: 17,277
By Alex Bywater
at the Liberty Stadium
Swansea City head coach Steve
Cooper insisted he has not been
shocked by his dream start to club
management after Birmingham
City were swept aside yesterday.
Following Premier League rele-
gation in 2018 and a string of mana-
gerial sackings, it has been a pretty
miserable time for fans of the Welsh
side. Last season manager Graham
Potter revived fortunes with a
return to the club’s famous passing
style and Cooper has built on that in
impressive fashion so far.
Here Swansea passed an admit-
tedly awful Birmingham side into
submission to move back into sec-
ond place in the Championship and
level on points with leaders Leeds
United, who they face on Saturday.
Second-half goals from Kyle
Naughton, Bersant Celina and Borja
Baston did the damage for Swansea
and Cooper said: “It was our best
performance of the season. I know
we came in at 0-0, but I was happy
with how we were playing. I just
felt we needed to be more prepared
to take risks at the top of the pitch
and fortunately the players did that.
“We made a load of passes,
scored three goals and dominated
possession, but I am equally happy
with how we defended.
“I believed we should win every
game we’ve played so far and that
will continue, so I’m not surprised
we’ve won certain games. I believe
we can dominate and play what’s in
front of us.”
Swansea were quick out of the
traps. They dominated the ball from
the first minute to the last and had
77 per cent of the first-half posses-
sion. Against a limited Birmingham
side – who failed to have a shot on
target – Swansea could not breakCelina did the rest as Lee Camp was
again beaten at his near post.
There was still time for Baston to
score his fifth Championship goal
of the season from the spot after
Marc Roberts felled Yan Dhanda.
Pep Clotet, Birmingham’s care-
taker head coach and a former
Swansea assistant, said: “I’m very
disappointed because we did a lot
of things right in the first half.
“We came into half-time very
solid and I was never worried about
the result, but in the second half we
struggled. I think Swansea are one
of the toughest teams in the league.”Swansea City (4-2-3-1) Woodman; Roberts, Van der
Hoorn, Rodon, Bidwell (Naughton h-t); Fulton, Grimes;
Celina (Garrick 84), Dhanda (Byers 84), Ayew; Borja.
Subs Nordfeldt (g), Routledge, Surridge, Wilmot.
Booked Dhanda.
Birmingham City (5-3-2) Camp; Harding, Dean, Roberts,
Pedersen, Seddon (Crowley 76); Davis (Bellingham 76),
Sunjic, Villalba; Gimenez (G Gardner 57), Jutkiewicz.
Subs Stockdale (g), C Gardner, Medina, Bailey.
Booked Davis, Pederson, Seddon, Sunjic.
Referee Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire).Clinical strike: Bersant Celina wheels away after scoring Swansea’s second goal
ANDREW LEWIS/FROZEN IN MOTION/REXJill Roord scored a hat-trick as Ar-
senal maintained their impressive
pre-season form with a 6-0 derby
drubbing of Tottenham Women in
a friendly match at Meadow Park.
Having beaten West Ham in a
friendly behind closed doors last
week, Arsenal were soon into their
stride against their north London
neighbours as Roord opened the
scoring after just five minutes, con-
verting from close range after a Kim
Little corner.
Jennifer Beattie made it 2-0,
again following a corner, and the
third came after the interval from
Jordan Nobbs, who scored within
five minutes of being introduced as
a second-half substitute for
Little. The goal was greeted ecstati-
cally by the crowd, not least be-
cause Nobbs was making her returnto action following a long lay-off
due to an anterior cruciate liga-
ment injury which caused the Eng-
land midfielder to miss the World
Cup.
Vivianne Miedema’s tireless ef-
forts paid off when she made it 4-0
after 60 minutes with a well-struck
left-foot shot. Nobbs’s introduction
also allowed Roord to push forward
and the Dutch player was rewarded
with two further goals as she com-
pleted her treble.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Erin Cuth-
bert will miss Scotland’s opening
qualifier in their Euro 2021 qual-
ifying campaign after she and
fellow forward Fiona Brown
withdrew through injury.
Hibernian’s Amy Muir and
Jamie-Lee Napier have been
called up as their replacements
for Friday’s match against Cy-
prus at Easter Road.Bury have been handed a lifeline as
they battle to preserve their
Football League status with the
EFL hinting they could be given
extra time if a deal is close.
The League One club have been
given until 5pm tomorrow to
secure their future, with owner
Steve Dale in talks with data
analytics company C&N Sporting
Risk over a potential takeover.
However, EFL executive chair
Debbie Jevans has suggested that
deadline could be extended if only
“one per cent” of the deal remains
to be completed, while at the same
time reiterating her warning that
the governing body will not allow
any more games to be postponed.
Jevans told BBC Radio 5 Live’s
Sportsweek show: “If we get to 5pm
on Tuesday in the board meeting
and there is one per cent, it would
depend what that one per cent is.
“What we’re not going to do is
this cannot go on for weeks and
weeks and weeks.”
Meanwhile, the pressure is
growing on Stoke City manager
Nathan Jones after the 3-0 home
defeat by leaders Leeds in the Sky
Bet Championship.
His side remain without a league
win this season and have recorded
just four victories from 25 matches
since he took charge last January.
Asked whether he has the
support of the owners, Jones said:
“Yeah, as far as I’m aware. I’ve
got a good relationship with them,
they see the work we are doing
but that won’t continue forever.
I know that.
“I do feel we are making big
strides but we haven’t got the
rewards we should have had.”
Stoke are bottom of the table
with just one point – the same tally
as Huddersfield Town, who will
this week step up their search for a
replacement to Jan Siewert, who
was sacked after just one win after
19 games in charge.WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Roord hits hat-trick as Nobbs returns
EFL hints at
extra time
for Bury’s
rescue act
through in the first period. Cooper
brought on Naughton at half-time
and he drove low into the corner
from the edge of the box in the 63rd
minute.
Swansea soon made it 2-0 when
Mike van der Hoorn pressed high,
dispossessed Fran Villalba, and13
Swansea have
claimed 13 points
from a possible 15
following the
appointment of
Steve Cooper in
the summerROUND-UP
Top shot: Jill
Roord’s treble
led the way in
Arsenal’s victoryt r n e - m , e m n s r - - n
Cup.
Viviann
forts paid
after 60 m
left-foot sh
also allow
and the Du
with two
pleted her
Meanw
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qualifie
ifying
fellow
withdr
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Jamie-
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prusa18 *** Monday 26 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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