Three talking points as Swansea and Bournemouth played out a goalless draw

By Rob Meech

Swansea City ended a run of four successive defeats but could not ease the pressure on boss Paul Clement with a goalless draw at home to AFC Bournemouth. The Swans controversially had a goal disallowed on the cusp of half-time when Nathan Ake was adjudged to have been fouled moments before Wilfried Bony found the net. Both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances after the break, although Leroy Fer should have done better from close range. Swansea remain rooted in the relegation zone, while Bournemouth are now three games unbeaten in the Premier League. Here are three talking points to emerge from the Liberty Stadium.

Clement still fearing for his future

Of all the clubs in the bottom five, Swansea are the only one not to change its manager. And although this point was much needed in the context of their campaign, it is unlikely to improve Clement’s job prospects. He fulfilled his brief of keeping the club in the top-flight last season, but a couple of high-profile departures in the summer have not helped his cause.

With just seven goals to their name, Swansea are the lowest scorers in the Premier League and although they hit the woodwork and had a goal disallowed, they fired a blank for the third game running. Clement said he was happy with the way his players responded to their run of bad results, but they desperately need a victory. To that end, the midweek fixture away to Chelsea is not ideal.

Battle-hardened Bournemouth continue their revival

After a worrying start to their third season in the Premier League, in which they lost their first four matches, Bournemouth have steadily climbed the table in recent weeks. With 10 points from their past five outings, the Cherries appear to be back on track. They headed into this game hoping to record three consecutive victories for the first time ever in the top-flight. But although they fell short, this was still a handy point given that their performance failed to hit the heights.

Bournemouth’s upturn has been founded upon defensive stability. They have not conceded a goal for more than 270 minutes of football, with Begovic and Ake proving to be excellent summer additions from Chelsea.

Bony’s goal drought goes on for toothless Swansea

When Bony smashed the ball home on the stroke of half-time, he must have thought he had finally ended his barren spell. But referee Stuart Attwell, who came in for heavy criticism from Clement for his performance, whistled for a foul in the build-up to deny the Ivorian.

It is now nine games since Bony scored in the Premier League and although he tried his utmost, he was unable to put Bournemouth’s defence under enough pressure and has yet to score since rejoining the club from Manchester City. He received no help from Renato Sanches, who has made little impact at Swansea since his high-profile loan switch from Bayern Munich. If Swansea are to escape the doldrums, then Bony will need to spearhead the attack with more venom.