Sigurdsson is best signing Ba none
West Bromwich Albion 1 Swansea City
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Your support makes all the difference.First Demba Ba, now Gylfi Sigurdsson. Those footsteps in the snow might have been made by Premier League clubs anxious to know who else Hoffenheim might have that's worth plundering.
Hard pressed though Swansea City's winter-window recruit will be to match the astonishing English impact of his former Bundesliga team-mate, the initial signs could hardly be more encouraging.
In conditions befitting his native Iceland, the 6ft 1in midfielder headed off the line, scored the equaliser and, by setting up Danny Graham's deserved winner, took his "assists" tally to three in the last four games.
Albion, pained as they are by yet more Hawthorns restlessness, will not be alone in doffing their cap at the way the 22-year-old has picked up on the association he had with his manager Brendan Rodgers at Reading. This, albeit only until the end of the season for now, looks like an excellent addition to a team who were already the talk of the Premier League.
Sigurdsson needed barely a minute to clinically answer Marc-Antoine Fortune's ice-breaker and around another four to shape the final, decisive ball in an intoxicating 19-pass move that secured only Swansea's second away League win.
"Demba told me this was a top league to play in, and it is," Sigurdsson said. "If I can do half of what he has, I'll be very pleased." As if to respect his new-boy status, the loan capture modestly added amid apparent geographical confusion: "They are passing the ball, moving and playing without fear. They are probably the best in England at it at the moment."
Match details
WBA: FOSTER 6/10; REID 6; McAULEY 6; OLSSON 6; SHOREY 6; MULUMBU 5; THOMAS 5 MORRISON 5; DORRANS 5; FORTUNE 6; ODEMWINGIE 6
Swansea: VORM 6; TAYLOR 7; WILLIAMS 6; CAULKER 6; RANGEL 7; SIGURDSSON 8; ALLEN 6; BRITTON 7; SINCLAIR 6; GRAHAM 7; DYER 6
Scorers: West Bromwich Albion Fortune 54 Swansea City Sigurdsson 56, Graham 59
Substitutes: WBA Scharner 6 (Mulumbu, 63), Tchoyi (Thomas, 71), Cox (Dorrans, 71) Swansea Routledge (Dyer, 87)
Booked: WBA Morrison, Shorey. Swansea Britton
Man of the match Sigurdsson. Match rating 7/10
Possession: WBA 53% Swansea 47%
Attempts on target: WBA 11 Swansea 8
Referee J Moss (West Yorkshire) Attendance 24,274
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