Barnsley 0-2 Swansea: Ben Cabango and Jamal Lowe score to secure win
Barnsley 0-2 Swansea: Steve Cooper’s men create four-point gap over Bournemouth to boost Championship automatic promotion hopes thanks to goals from Ben Cabango and Jamal Lowe in clinical victory in Yorkshire
- Swansea City beat Barnsley 2-0 to maintain second place in the Championship
- Wales international Ben Camango and top scorer Jamal Lowe both scored to win
- The Swans have opened up a four-point lead over third-place Bournemouth
It took an economy of effort for Swansea to provide a statement of intent in the Championship’s automatic promotion race.
Steve Cooper’s team had two attempts on target at Oakwell and scored with them both to open up a four-point lead over third-placed Bournemouth, who surprisingly slipped up at home to Luton earlier in the day.
A looping header from Wales international Ben Cabango and slick finish from top scorer Jamal Lowe – his seventh goal in as many matches stood despite him initially being off-side – put the gloss on another shut-out that suggests they will continue to churn out the results in a quest to return to the top-flight at the third time of asking.
Swansea City secured another victory in the Championship, beating a spirited Barnsley 2-0
Wales international Ben Cabango ,20, (centre) opened the scoring in first-half injury time
The Swans top scorer Jamal Lowe (left) then secured victory eight minutes after the interval
Since relegation from the Premier League in 2017-18, Swansea have invested in two of English football’s brightest young managerial talents.
If Graham Potter cultivated the shoots of recovery with a stabilising 10th-placed finish the following season, there has undoubtedly been greater growth under the former England Under-17 boss Cooper.
Play-off participation last July has been followed by elevation into the top two just past the halfway point of this campaign.
Barnsley were threatening, with Victor Adeboyejo (left) squandering a good chance early on
Barnsley forward Callum Styles (left) shot from the edge of the area but it was too central
MATCH FACTS
Barnsley: Walton, Sollbauer, Helik, Andersen, Brittain, Mowatt, Kane, Styles, Adeboyejo, Woodrow, Chaplin.
Subs not used: Morris, Thomas, Schmidt, Sibbick, Palmer, Oduor, Frieser, Moon, Collins.
Swansea: Woodman, Guehi, Cabango, Naughton, Roberts, Fulton, Grimes, Bidwell, Smith, Lowe, Ayew.
Subs not used: Manning, Routledge, Hamer, Cullen, Dhanda, Latibeaudiere, Byers, Cooper, Garrick.
Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire)
Potter won plaudits for his side’s play in possession but Cooper’s insistence on discipline out of it has been key: their 13 goals conceded the most miserly at the Championship’s mid-point for five years.
This was their seventh clean sheet in nine league outings, with Marc Guehi and Cabango – both 20, and loaned from Chelsea and picked up from Welsh Premier League leaders The New Saints respectively – reassuring presences beyond their years in central defence.
Heads and boots went into block whenever necessary, to Cooper’s delight.
‘We had to show a different side to our game and fair play to the lads because we did it really well,’ Cooper said.
‘It probably wasn’t a pretty affair but turned into a comfortable win in the end.’
Swansea found the net in first-half injury time as Cabango stole to the front of a posse of players six yards out to guide Connor Roberts’ exocet throw across goal and into the top corner.
They doubled their advantage 10 minutes after the re-start when Lowe seized upon a comical mix-up between Barnsley centre-backs Mads Andersen and Michal Helik to slot under the advancing Jack Walton for his ninth goal of the season.
‘That’s the goal that killed us,’ admitted Barnsley boss Ismael Valerien, focusing on his own side’s failure to clear danger rather than question its validity given Lowe’s starting position when the ball was initially headed forward.
Barnsley went toe to toe with leaders Norwich a fortnight ago but left Norfolk pointless and confirmation that they were to be short against one of the division’s top teams again came when Swansea goalkeeper Freddie Woodman spectacularly tipped over a 30-yard piledriver from Callum Brittain that flew through an emptying penalty area following a corner 18 minutes from time.
Barnsley’s Callum Brittain, who had a late 25-yard shot tipped over the bar, battles with Lowe
Swansea head coach Steve Cooper saw his side secure yet another clean sheet in the league
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