Clement frustrated by Everton defeat

Paul Clement felt Swansea City shot themselves in the foot after they were beaten 3-1 by Everton despite taking the lead at Goodison Park.

The Swans looked to be in with a chance of landing a notable result on Merseyside when Leroy Fer put them ahead on 35 minutes.

But Everton equalised in first-half stoppage time after Roque Mesa was penalised for a foul on Aaron Lennon in the box.

Lukasz Fabianski did brilliantly to push Wayne Rooney’s penalty on to the post, but the rebound was swept home by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Everton began to increase the pressure in the second half, and they went ahead on 64 minutes thanks to a fabulous long-range strike from Swans old boy Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Sigurdsson opted not to celebrate after scoring against his former club, but the home crowd were on their feet once more 10 minutes later after Everton were awarded a second penalty for Martin Olsson’s trip on Jonjoe Kenny.

The Swans felt any contact occurred outside the box, but referee Jon Moss pointed to the spot and Rooney drilled home despite Fabianski guessing the right way.

“We are disappointed again with the result,” Clement said.

“Up until the penalty at the end of the first half, we played well. We had good control of the game, created some decent opportunities and scored from a set-play.

“Then you want to manage the game well going into half-time, but we conceded a very sloppy goal.

“First we allowed a throw to go into Rooney’s feet, then Lennon’s run was not tracked and then there was a clumsy foul.

“We had a good save from the keeper. You want your defenders to react there, but the striker reacted quicker and produced a good finish.

“We didn’t play so well in the second half, but their second goal comes from our corner. Having already scored from a corner, we decided to play it short to the left-footer on his wrong foot.

“Then there is a hopeful ball into the box and when (Jordan) Pickford gets it, we are all over the place.

“They play through us easily and it’s a very good finish from Sigurdsson, but it’s an avoidable goal.

“The last goal is very similar to the first. We defend the situation poorly again and it’s a clumsy challenge.

“I think the foul’s outside the box, but he falls inside, the penalty is given and it’s game over.”

The loss means the Swans remain bottom of the Premier League with just 12 points from 18 top-flight games this season.

This Saturday’s meeting with Crystal Palace marks the halfway point in the league campaign, and Clement is already focusing on the Eagles clash.

“The situation now is the same as when I took over on January 3, with 12 points,” he added.

“We have an opportunity to get to 15 points at halfway, which would be a better situation than last year.

“That’s what we have to focus on now. My job is to prepare the team for Crystal Palace.

“I am going to keep fighting. I have worked hard to this point and I am not going to give up on it.”