Graham ends drought but Hull fight back

Swansea player Chico Flores (right) equalises for Swansea goal past Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor during the Premier league match between Swansea City and Hull City at the Liberty Stadium. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
Swansea player Chico Flores (right) equalises for Swansea goal past Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor during the Premier league match between Swansea City and Hull City at the Liberty Stadium. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Chico Flores’ equaliser ensured Danny Graham’s first goal since January was not enough to give Hull all three points at Swansea.

Graham had not found the net since leaving the Liberty Stadium earlier this year, but he returned to haunt his former club with a fine far-post finish in the eighth minute.

The Tigers kept their hosts at bay with ease until the hour mark when Jonjo Shelvey's driven ball hit Flores and flew in to give the Spaniard his first Premier League goal, although replays suggested the ball had come off his arm on the way into the net.

Hull could still have won it had referee Martin Atkinson not missed a blatant handball by Swansea defender Dwight Tiendalli as he blocked an Alex Bruce header.

READ MORE

Much had been made of Graham’s return to Swansea and a goal drought stretching back to January 9th. It was almost inevitable he would end it against his former club, and so it proved as he converted Ahmed Elmohamady’s raking cross.

A poor Ashley Williams pass was picked off by Ahmed Elmohamaday and his invitied deep cross was converted at the back post to give Graham his first top-flight goal in 1,626 minutes.

Swansea had no response as they toiled through the rest of the first half but they found a leveller 15 minutes into the second half. A short corner routine gave Shelvey the room to drill the ball towards the six-yard box, where it struck Flores to beat Allan McGregor. Atkinson then missed Tiendalli almost catching Bruce's header as the sides took away a point apiece.
SWANSEA: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Chico, Williams, Ben Davies, de Guzman (Pozuelo 56), Canas, Dyer, Shelvey, Hernandez (Routledge 67), Michu. Subs Not Used: Amat, Taylor, Lamah, Donnelly, Zabret. Booked: Williams, Shelvey, Chico.
HULL: McGregor, Chester, Bruce, Davies, Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Meyler, Figueroa, Sagbo, Graham (Koren 64). Subs Not Used: Rosenior, Brady, McShane, Boyd, Harper, Faye. Booked: Livermore, Figueroa, Sagbo.
Attendance: 19,303
Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).