Laudrup: Special win was for fans

5th January

Michael Laudrup dedicated his side's first ever win at Old Trafford to the Swansea supporters after his side qualified for the fourth round of the FA Cup.

A late winner from Wilfried Bony gave the Swans a 2-1 win over Manchester United after Javier Hernandez's first-half equaliser cancelled out Wayne Routledge's early opener.

Routledge put the Swans in front in the 12th minute after he latched onto a superb through pass by Alejandro Pozuelo before beating Anders Lindegaard with a delightful lob.

But Swansea's lead was short-lived when Hernandez put the home side back on terms, just four minutes later, by turning in Alexander Buttner's in-swinging cross.

In the 76th minute, substitute Fabio Da Silva was sent off for a high-footed challenge on Jose Canas, meaning the home side were forced to play out the remaining minutes a player down.

And the Swans took advantage of their one-man upper-hand when Bony powered home a header after Routledge chipped in a cross from the left-hand side of the box.

Laudrup's side will play one of Birmingham City, Crawley Town or Bristol Rovers in the fourth round of the domestic cup, and the Swans boss believes this afternoon's cup victory was a special day for the players as well as the supporters.

"I think it's a great day for the players and for the fans as well," said the Great Dane. "When you win at certain grounds, it is something very special for people who have only watched the Premier League for the last two and a half years.

"If you play Man United ten times away, maybe you win one or two, but the rest you draw or lose, which is normal.

"The reason why some stadiums like Old Trafford are special is because of the history of the club, not because of what happened in the last one or two seasons. To come here and win is always going to be something special.

"For us to beat them, you still have to deliver a very good performance."

The Swans boss was especially pleased with the confidence his side displayed - something that has remained high, despite their winless streak.

He added: "For me, it's another game where we showed confidence, which I think we have done in the last few games. We just needed a win, and today we got it in the last moments.

"Even if we have had six or seven games now without a win, my players play with a lot of confidence.

"Normally, when you have gone a few games without winning, you lack confidence, but I don't see that with my team.

"It was important that we tried to play our passing and movement game, and forget they are wearing the Man United shirts, and to just say 'we can do it'. Not because another four teams have won here, but because we think we can do it, like we did against Man City a few days ago.

"To win against teams like this, you need to score your chances. Maybe we got more chances today than I thought we would, and I don't think Man United created as many chances as I expected them to, but it was important to get the win.

"Bony's goal was a great finish, and apart from that I think we had two or three more chances. We only had 15 minutes in the first-half where we suffered a bit."

Meanwhile, Manchester United boss David Moyes felt his side had played well enough to have at least drawn the game.