Swansea City hosted West Ham United in the Premier League but were held to a goalless draw by a battling Hammers side.
It was the visitors who had the better of the opening half, with Guy Demel in particular a danger from set pieces, but the sides went in goalless.
Swansea continued with their possession game after the break but were unable to get past Jussi Jaaskelainen and had to settle for a point.
Here, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was fair or not.
Match statistics:
Swansea:
Shots 10
On target 5
Possession 67%
Corners 9
Fouls 12
West Ham:
Shots 15
On target 5
Possession 33%
Corners 6
Fouls 14
Was the result fair?
Putting the two halves together, yes. Separately, West Ham were the better team before the break but Swansea came out to control the second 45. In terms of chances, both teams probably should have put away at least one but both goalkeepers played very well and were worthy of keeping their respective clean sheets.
Swansea's performance
It the performance that last season had taught everyone to expect from the Swans. In the first half they had an awful lot of the ball but really lacked any penetration in the final third. After the break they created a lot more chances, but came up against an in-form Jaaskelainen.
West Ham's performance
The players on the pitch worked to Sam Allardyce's game plan very well, in that they were compact off the ball and looked to make use of their possession. They were a constant threat on the counter and particularly set pieces, but were unable to beat Michel Vorm in the Swans goal. They were well worthy of a point and might be a little disappointed that they did not win.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Guy Demel: The Hammers right-back was a beast in defence and one of their biggest threats going forward. It was no coincidence that Wayne Routledge did very little before being taken off in the second half and had he put a first-half header on target might have earned his team all three points.
Biggest gaffe
It was the sort of game that a moment of brilliance or madness would send the points one way or the other, and there was not a lot of either. Joe Cole was almost guilty of the latter in stoppage time as he raised his arms to block a cross from Nathan Dyer. Fortunately for him, referee Phil Dowd did not choose to punish him for it – but penalties have been give for that.
Referee performance
Phil Dowd controlled the game very well indeed. He did his best to let a combative game flow and only went to his pocket when completely necessary. The home players put him under pressure to make a couple of penalty decisions, but he remained calm and made the correct one time after time.
What next?
Swansea: Swansea remain in Wales for the third league game running, but next time they are up against fierce rivals Cardiff City away from home. This will be a game that Michael Laudrup will be wanting to win more than most.
West Ham: The Hammers go to Burnley in the League Cup on Tuesday and will be sure to face another stern test. The Championship side are flying at the moment and it will need be an equally impressive defensive performance.
Matt Domm
