Swansea City have booked a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in more than five decades by seeing off Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 in their fifth-round replay at the Liberty Stadium.
After an uneventful first half, Jordan Ayew and Nathan Dyer found the net in the second period to dump the Owls out of the competition and set up a last-eight home clash with either Tottenham Hotspur or Rochdale, who play on Wednesday.
Carlos Carvalhal's side could only manage a goalless draw against his former club at Hillsborough earlier this month, and the second-tier underdogs caused the Swans a few problems early on.
They claimed the only shots on target in the first period, coming close twice in quick succession on the half-hour mark when Swansea goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt pulled off reaction saves to deny Jacob Butterfield from a tight angle, and then Jordan Rhodes on the follow-up.
A half-time substitution is what changed the game as Ayew's introduction made Swansea look like a new team, providing support for lone striker Tammy Abraham and linking up well with Dyer.
Ayew was the one to break the deadlock in the 55th minute, tucking away the rebound from close range after Tom Carroll's curling strike from the edge of the box came back off the post.
Wednesday were never really in the game in the second period, and they fell further behind 10 minutes from time when Abraham squared a pass to Dyer in the danger zone and the winger shot through the legs of Owls goalkeeper Cameron Dawson and into the bottom corner, putting the outcome of the match beyond doubt.
The win sees Swansea claim a place in the quarters of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1963-64 campaign.
SWANSEA CITY (3-2-4-1): Nordfeldt; Van der Hoorn, Fernandez, Bartley; Roberts, Clucas, Ki (Olsson, 45'), Carroll; Dyer (Britton, 83'), Routledge (Ayew, 45'); Abraham
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (3-5-2): Dawson; Vanacio, Loovens, Pudil; Hunt (Palmer, 38') Boyd, Jones, Butterfield (Nuhiu, 68'), Reach; Rhodes (Abdi, 81'), Joao
Mark Langshaw
