Swansea 1 West Brom 0 - Report and pictures

Wilfried Bony's 81st minute goal nearly broke the net from six yards out and it has also broken all the positivity from Alan Pardew's first game in charge.

This was a lacklustre defeat at the hands of a poor Swansea team that makes it one point from a possible six in consecutive games against the team that started the day bottom for Pardew.

Albion are hurtling towards nearly half a season without a win. The new boss has a big job on his hands.

Outplayed by a team who have only scored nine goals in 16 league games this season, the same old hallmarks that put paid to Tony Pulis's tenure at the club returned.

Albion lacked confidence and - more worryingly - quality going forward, and also looked jittery at the back. A better team than Swansea would have scored far more.

It was a poor game. Groans greeted misplaced passes more often than not, and there was very little to cheer.

These two teams have only scored 21 goals between them in 32 league games and boy did it show.

Pardew made just one change to the side that started the game with Crystal Palace, and it was enforced.

Claudio Yacob, who impressed the new boss off the bench at The Hawthorns, replaced the injured Gareth Barry.

Chris Brunt returned to the bench from his thigh injury but the game came too soon for Matt Phillips, who has a hamstring niggle.

It was a day to remember for 16-year-old forward Rayhaan Tulloch though, as the England U17 player was included in the squad for the first time.

After one goal and one point from their previous five games, a desperate Clement went looking for help from his squad.

He made four changes to the team that lost at Stoke, leaving Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham on the bench and Bayern Munich loanee Renato Sanches out altogether.

Alfie Mawson and Jonny Evans both put difficult headers wide during a tense opening befitting such an important game for both teams.

Albion were seeing most of the ball, but their probing was tentative, like a child who's unsure why he's suddenly been allowed to delve into the sweet jar.

It took an outstanding sliding tackle from Mawson to stop Jay Rodriguez going through on goal, and the Swansea centre-back had the piece of mind to set up a counter-attack.

And that sparked a spell of pressure for the Swans, who started to grow into the game. Claudio Yacob was booked for scything fown Nathan Dyer, who looked dangerous cutting in off the right.

A few moments later, Ben Foster had to be alert when a neat one-two between Wayne Routledge and Wilfried Bony sent the diminutive Dyer through, but Albion's keeper rushed off his line to clear.

The Baggies were forced to weather a storm for a while, and although Swansea failed to test Foster, they could have quite easily taken the lead.

Kyle Naughton smacked a long-range effort over the bar, Wayne Routledge did the same, and Mawson wasted the best chance of them all with a header from six yards out that also sailed over.

Albion were riding their luck, and the hosts went even closer when a free-kick which flicked off Jake Livermore hit the base of the post and squirted safe.

It looked like it was going to take a slice of fortune, rather than a moment of quality, to open the scoring between these two.

Both lacked confidence in the final third, both lacked incision going forward, but Swansea finished the first half on top.

The big difference between the two was pace, which Swansea had in Routledge and Dyer, but Albion lacked.

So at half-time, Pardew brought on some pace, swapping James McClean for Sam Field on the left hand side.

The Irish international added some much-needed energy to the lifeless visitors, but after five minutes of McClean haring around, Swansea regained control.

The game was limping by until the 56th minute, when Bony beat Jonny Evans to the ball, turned the Albion captain, took it around Claudio Yacob, and whistled a shot inches wide of Foster's post.

After that, the visitors worked their way back into the game, thanks in large part, to McClean. The Baggies were struggling to threaten Swansea's goal, but they did at least make Fabianski work when Rodriguez flicked on McClean's cross at the front post.

They should have done better five minutes later though when a counter-attack presented a glorious opportunity to them.

It was four on three briefly, but with Livermore, McClean and Rondon hurtling into the box, Robson-Kanu wastefully overhit his cross.

The Wales international went down clutching his ankle soon after but Swansea played on, allowing Jordan Ayew to finally draw a save from Foster at his near post.

Both managers knew a point wasn't enough, and so Pardew sent on Oliver Burke and Clement sent on Tammy Abraham.

The Chelsea loanee was immediately in the thick of the action, lurking at the back post when Nyom headed clear off the line and then striking the resulting corner wide with his thigh.

Swansea were knocking on the door, and nine minutes from time they got their just rewards when an inswinging corner to the back post wreaked havoc in the Albion penalty area.

It was hung right under the back post and although Yacob and Nyom were on the line and managed to desperately stop it going in at the first time of asking, the ball squirted invitingly out onto the six yard line, where Bony was on hand to smash the home with venom.

Another late goal conceded in this season of late goals.

Pardew immediately threw on Brunt for the disappointing Rodriguez, and the Baggies immediately went up the other end where McClean hung a cross up to Rondon, but the Venezuelan headed over.

The visitors flooded forward in desperation more than expectation, and left themselves exposed at the back.

Abraham should have settled it in injury time when he beat Evans to the ball in the centre circle and raced clear with just Foster to beat.

But his chipped effort drifted wide to prolong the agony for a final few minutes.

In the end, it was nothing that Albion didn't deserve. This team is in desperate need of work.

Key moments

39 Swansea hit the post with a free-kick that flicks off Livermore, before Mawson heads over from six yards out.

65 Albion counter and it's four on three briefly until Robson-Kanu overhits his cross.

81 GOAL SWANSEA - Bony smashes the ball into the net from five yards out after a corner to the back post falls to him in the box.

Man of the match

Alfie Mawson - The Swansea centre-back stood out in a poor game.

Position in the table

17th, with 13 points from 16 games.

Teams

Swansea (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Naughton, van der Hoorn, Mawson, Olsson; Carroll (Abraham 76), Mesa; Routledge (Ayew 56), Ki, Dyer (Narsingh 66); Bony (c). Unused subs: Mulder, Fernandez, Fer, Clucas.

Albion (4-4-2): Foster; Nyom, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs; Robson-Kanu (Burke 78), Livermore, Yacob, Field (McClean 45); Rodriguez (Brunt 82), Rondon. Unused subs: Myhill, McAuley, Brunt, Krychowiak, Tulloch.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

Attendance: 19,580