Report | Swansea City 1 Norwich City 0
Swansea City remain unbeaten at home in the Championship after Amankwah Forson’s early own goal gave the hosts all three points against Norwich City at the Swansea.com Stadium.
The Norwich midfielder put through his own net in just the fourth minute as he inadvertently turned a Jisung Eom cross into his own net.
In an entertaining contest between two sides determined to try and get on the front foot there were chances at both ends.
Liam Cullen had a header cleared off the line, while Ollie Cooper and Eom also forced Angus Gunn into saves in the Norwich goal, while Ronald was unable to turn the ball home at the far post.
At the other end Lawrence Vigouroux made stops from Josh Sargent, while Kyle Naughton and Harry Darling made crucial blocks to see the Swans rewarded for a tireless performance with a victory.
This was a showing with the energy and intensity head coach Luke Williams had demanded from his players, and gives the Swans a positive base to build from at the start of this next batch of Championship fixtures.
While this was undoubtedly a team effort, there were eye-catching displays from Eom, Naughton and Gonçalo Franco, while Cooper and Cullen ran themselves into the ground.
Swansea had shown two changes from defeat at West Brom as Naughton came in for Josh Tymon, while Cullen started up front as Zan Vipotnik dropped to the bench.
There was a lively start. Norwich enjoyed a period of possession from kick-off, but Swansea posed the first real threat as Franco won the ball and drove forward before freeing Ronald.
The Brazilian’s crossfield ball for Eom did not quite find the Korean, but Swansea soon pressed to win the ball back and, after Ollie Cooper had found Eom, his attempted pass was inadvertently turned into his own net by Forson.
Norwich sought a quick response, and Naughton made a magnificent block when a deflected cross had fallen for Sargent just outside the six-yard box.
It was end to end stuff, and Swansea were soon on the offensive again as Josh Key’s cross forced Shane Duffy into an awkward clearance as Cullen threatened.
Excellent work from Vigouroux, Key and Franco then combined to send Ronald away, but his attempted cutback for Cullen did not reach its intended target.
Vigouroux denied Sargent’s firm drive before Eom’s dipping drive forward Angus Gunn to tip over his own bar.
Canaries defender Callum Doyle then nodded a looping Cullen header off his own line just before the half-hour mark after Ronald had fired in a firm delivery from the right.
Norwich had the next big chance, Forson’s header being tipped away to safety by a leaping Vigouroux before superb pressing work from Cooper saw him win the ball and tee up Franco, but the midfielder’s venomous effort struck a covering defender.
The Swans retained their narrow lead at the beak and continued to do so as Harry Darling got a foot out to block Forson’s strike from a Sargent lay-off.
Swansea responded, Cullen seeing his header from Ronald’s cross after fine work by the winger and Key down the home side’s right flank.
Key, Ronald and Franco were next to combine, but the latter’s cross had too much on it as the hour mark came and went.
Norwich started to have a spell of pressure, with Vigouroux gathering a Forson cross as yellow shirts closed in on him in his six-yard box.
Swansea cleared their lines and Cooper forward Gunn to get down to gather in a bobbling effort from the Wales international.
The visitors pressed again in the closing stages, but the Swans saw the game out to claim the spoils with Ben Cabango making a magnificent covering tackle on Borja Sainz in the final seconds.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Josh Key, Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Kyle Naughton (Josh Tymon 70); Matt Grimes (captain), Gonçalo Franco (Joe Allen 79), Ollie Cooper (Myles Peart-Harris 79); Jisung Eom (Florian Bianchini 70), Liam Cullen (Žan Vipotnik79); Ronald.
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Jay Fulton, Nelson Abbey, Azeem Abdulai.
Norwich City: Angus Gunn, Jack Stacey (Liam Gibbs 80), Shane Duffy, Callum Doyle, Borja Sainz, Josh Sargent, Ben Chrisene (Jose Cordoba 71), Amankwah Forson (Garbriel Forsyth 70), Kenny McLean (captain), Marcelino Nunez (Onel Hernandez 45), Oscar Schwartau (Ante Crnac 58).
Unused Substitutes: George Long, Grant Hanley, Kaide Gordon, Kellen Fisher.
Referee: John Busby
Attendance: 14,097