Hull City battled to a 1-0 win over Swansea on Saturday at the KC Stadium as Hull are all but safe from relegation, while the Swans are still only six-points clear of the drop.
The game-winning moment arrived just before half time, as George Boyd rose like a salmon at the back post and headed in a looping cross to give the Tigers a deserved lead. Swansea spurned several good chances to equalize in the second half, as Hull held on for a valuable win that sees them leapfrog Swansea and leave the South Wales side with still flirting with the relegation zone.
Hull moved up to 12th on 36 points after the win, while the Swans dropped to 15th on 33 points.
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An early cross from Figueora on the left found Shane Long in the box and Michel Vorm made a superb save at the far post to keep the score level inside the first 10 minutes. Hull continued to press the Swans, and in the 17th minute George Boyd hammered a low shot towards goal following Long’s knockdown but Vorm saved well down to his right.
After that the game evened out, but Swansea’s Wayne Routledge got clear of Hull’s defense but took the winger too much time to have a shot and saw his effort blocked.
Just after the half hour mark Nikica Jelavic curled a free kick just over for Hull, as a nervy encounter played out in the sunshine in East Yorkshire. Then in the 38th minute Hull took the lead, as Liam Rosenior’s looping cross from the right saw Boyd rise highest and beat Angel Rangel to head home the opener. The Tigers pushed for another after half time, as Steve Bruce’s men aimed to stave off any lingering threat of relegation.
In the second half Swansea pushed hard for an equalizer, as Nathan Dyer spurned a glorious chance to put the Swans level but hit his effort tamely on target.Garry Monk cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines, as the rookie manager still has the threat of relegation breathing down his neck.
Jonjo Shelvey had another effort which failed to worry Steve Harper in goal for Hull, as the Tigers held on to their slender advantage and grabbed a crucial three points which has likely sealed their top-flight status for next season.
LINEUPS
Hull City: Harper, Rosenior, Figueora (Koren, 75'), Chester, Davies, Meyler, Livermore, Boyd, Jelavic (Sagbo, 91'), Long (Aluko, 64'), Elmohamady
Goal: Boyd (38')
Swansea City: Vorm, Rangel, Chico Flores, Williams, Davies, Britton (Lita, 83'), Shelvey, De Guzman (Dyer, 45'), Routledge, Michu (Hernandez, 66'), Bony