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Aston Villa 0 Swansea 1 - Report and pictures

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Aston Villa couldn't hold for a Premier League point at home to Swansea after Bafetimbi Gomis netted a late winner for the visitors.

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The claret and blues, who had absorbed Swans pressure for much of the game, were actually caught on the break when the goal came.

There were just three minutes left when the away side suddenly surged up the other end through Jefferson Montero, with Gomis arriving to sweep home his cross.

The victory was, in truth, no less than Swansea deserved after doing most of the attacking, but it didn't look like it was going to be Gomis' day.

He had been denied twice by goalkeeper Brad Guzan, while Wayne Routledge had a shot cleared off the line as the Swans made most of the running at Villa Park.

It was reflected in the terraces with the home faithful flat, waiting for something to happen after the swashbuckling way their side dispatched Sunderland 4-0 away from homr last week.

It took until the 32nd minute for Villa to test goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski, when Fabian Delph shot straight at him following Scott Sinclair's run.

But Villa were second best and survived a scare four minutes later when Guzan spilled Sigurdsson's free kick to Routledge, with his follow up was hacked off the line by Ciaran Clark.

The sides went into half-time goalless, but Swansea were right back on the attack when play resumed. Guzan tipped over Sigurdsson's 30-yard free kick, before Gomis nodded over at the far post.

Bafetibis Gomis of Swansea City celebrates with his team-mates after scoring a goal to make it 0-1.

Then, all of a sudden, Villa almost cashed in on those misses on 56 minutes.

Benteke headed down Hutton's cross for Agbonlahor but, in front of goal, the striker could not get the ball out of his feet quick enough and Taylor managed to block his six-yard effort.

Villa had wrestled themselves a foothold in the game and Sinclair was inches away from connecting with Agbonlahor's driven cross, before dragging wide with 20 minutes left.

Delph fired over with six minutes remaining as the game meandered to a close, before Gomis won it in the 87th minute.

Montero had made a difference for the visitors since coming on and his excellent low centre found Gomis, who fired in from six yards.

Sinclair then almost grabbed an equaliser against his former club a minute later, but volleyed over from 10 yards.

And Routledge could have finished it in injury time when he raced clean through, but Guzan saved.

Villa still possess a three-point buffer between themselves and the drop zone, but there's still work to do if they are to stay out of the bottom three.

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