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Andre Ayew on target as Swansea climbs to second place in the Championship
Captain Andre Ayew led by example for Swansea, scoring the goal that sealed a 2-0 win over Blackburn that cut Reading’s lead at the top of the Sky Bet Championship to four points.
Ayew, named captain after club captain Matt Grimes was among the substitutes, scored shortly after the hour after a Ben Cabango header gave the home team a 1-0 lead at interval.
The routine victory left Swansea unbeaten within four games, climbing to second in the table.
He also extended Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray’s sterile comeback in league games against Swansea to seven games as boss without a win.
Swansea weren’t at their best, but with goalkeeper Freddie Woodman in solid form and Blackburn’s menacing moments seldom held up, it was a comfortable home win.
The early stride of the visitors was crisp and incisive and created an opportunity for Adam Armstrong of which he should have tasted Woodman. Instead, Blackburn’s shooter was only able to cut his shot wide.
Swansea’s response was a pass that split the defense from midfielder Yan Dhanda, but forward Jamal Lowe was not strong enough to benefit.
Surprisingly, Swans head coach Steve Cooper had left regular captain Grimes on the bench and in the absence of the midfielder the home team lacked the usual fluidity.
But that didn’t stop them from taking the lead on a set piece in the 25th minute, when Cabango edged past Darragh Lenihan to finish off a header from the corner from Connor Roberts.
It was the second goal of the season for Wales central defender Cabango, 20, following his breakthrough the previous season.
Ghana captain Ayew came close to increasing Swansea’s lead when his header down from a Roberts cross was cleared by Blackburn goalkeeper Aynsley Pears.
But it was the Rovers who ended the first half with mounting pressure, and the combination of Armstrong and Ben Brereton created moments of danger.
A terrible header from Kyle Naughton knocked Armstrong in, but Woodman was alert enough to quell the effort.
Blackburn’s pair of strikes continued to cause problems after the break and it came as a surprise when manager Mowbray chose to replace Brereton as part of a double substitution.
The impact was instantaneous, but not in the way Mowbray had planned, as his team fell 2-0 behind seconds later in the 61st minute.
Roberts did well to free Dhanda down the right and the former Liverpool player’s perfect cross was greeted with a firm header down from Ayew for his sixth goal of the season.
Swansea sent Viktor Gyokeres late, but the forward, on loan from Brighton, failed to capitalize on a couple of starts.
Blackburn fainted in the fourth quarter and it rarely seemed likely that he would initiate a comeback.
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