Swansea ended a three-match run without a win at their Swansea.Com Stadium with an emphatic 3-0 triumph over QPR to earn their first Boxing Day victory at home since 2015.
Despite the fact QPR came into the game on the back of a seven match unbeaten run that had seen them move off the bottom into 14th place they were given the complete run-around in a first half totally dominated by the home side.
Swansea enjoyed 85 per cent possession in the opening 45 minutes, had eight shots on target and scored three goals. It was one-way traffic with the R’s not managing a shot in return.
Match Action
The alarm bells began ringing in the visitors’ defence in the ninth minute when a Liam Cullen cross to the far post was put behind as Ronald closed in looking to open the scoring.
The first goal came three minutes later when a low cross from Ronald was turned in by Cullen.
That was the Welsh international’s seventh goal of the season for his club and his fifth in eight for Swans. He was not finished there, either.
Just before the half-hour mark he swept across the six-yard box to sublimely turn in another cross from the right, this time from Josh Key. That made it seven in his last nine outings, including international football for Wales.
Cullen had a hand in the third goal three minutes later as he ran into the box after a clever a pass by Jisung Eom. His shot from a wide angle was parried away by QPR keeper Paul Nardi, but only into the path of Goncalo Franco.
The Portuguese midfielder simply volleyed home inside the six-yard box to claim his first goal for the club he joined in the summer.
It should have been 4-0 at the break after Florian Biachchini went through one-on-one with Nardi, but he missed his touch and QPR were saved.
Second Half
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes, who had claimed the weekend win over Preston had been their best performance of the season, made three changes as he threw on Ilias Chair, Harrison Ashby and Nicolas Madsen to try to make a difference.
They helped to get their team higher up the pitch, but the first shot of the second half came from Key. The first shot for QPR came in the 80th minute from Ashby, but it was deflected away for a corner.
Zan Vipotnik hit the side netting for the home side in the 83rd minute after a Cullen through ball, but the scoreline remained the same as at half-time as QPR dropped two places to 16th and Swansea move up to 10th.
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