A first-half substitute is exactly what Bristol City needed as they head home with all three points

Bristol City came from behind to beat Swansea 3-1 in a game hugely dominated by the home side.

The Swans will be kicking themselves after letting a one-goal lead slip with the home side being by far the better team for the first 60 minutes.

The hosts ended the first half with 77% possession and 15 shots-on-goal compared to Bristol City’s 23% and 0.

Swansea were causing havoc down the right-hand side with Connor Roberts, Jamal Lowe and Yan Dhanda combining well. Ryley Towler didn’t know what day it was on the visitor’s left side and the Robins’ manager decided to bring him off with seconds remaining of the first-half.

Pearson justified his reasoning behind the substitution in his post-match interview with Robins TV by saying:

“I would have made the change at half-time but he had been booked and then he made a challenge which put him on thin ice. The team had to have 11 men on the pitch.

“I also have to protect young players who are in difficult situations. He stuck at his task very well and it’s not a criticism, it’s just we needed something different so that’s why we made the change.”

Towler was replaced by Steven Sessegnon with the 20-year-old easing himself back into the first team after picking up an injury in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Sessegnon’s inclusion meant that Pearson switched to a 4-5-1 formation, with Sessegnon filling in at left-back and Zak Vyner slotting further forward into centre-midfield.

Nothing much changed in terms of possession in the second-half with Swansea still dominating possession and looking the more threatening team. The hosts were finally rewarded by the referee awarding a penalty in the 55th minute after Kasey Palmer handled the ball in the box. The ex-Swan had his appeals waved away and André Ayew finished brilliantly for his 10th of the season.

Going from time-wasting to rushing to get men forward, Bristol City looked like a completely different team for the remainder of the match.

The visitors then got their goal after 62 minutes. After having not looking like threatening Swansea’s goal all afternoon, they found themselves level after some horrendous defending from the Welsh side. Marc Guéhi failed to judge a bouncing ball and Vyner, who’d been positioned further forward after the first-half substitution set up a charging Nahki Wells to slam the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

The Robins were slowly getting into the match, looking as if they’d possessed the confidence to go on and snatch a late winner. Then, a Palmer corner in the 80th minute went through the defence untouched and the 24-year-old scored his first goal since scoring for Swansea at the Liberty back in October.

The Swans pushed for an equaliser, but they were matched by the visitors’ resilient defending. However, the home side were punished with seconds remaining after a determined Antoine Semenyo managed to charge down a Freddie Woodman clearance and the ball cannoned off the attacker into an empty net.

After the full-time whistle, new boss Pearson called everyone together to have a team-huddle after claiming a massive victory against a promotion-chasing Swansea.

This is now the Swans’ second defeat in three games and it’s the first time they’ve lost this season after going ahead.

After being asked about what Pearson has brought to the team in his short spell at Ashton Gate so far, goalscorer Palmer said:

“I think even against Middlesbrough, just coming in and speaking, you know that you’ve got to work hard or you’re not going to play, it’s as simple as that.

“The foundation of the team is to work hard. If you’re not going to work hard then you’re not going to play. Everyone knows what he demands.”

Pearson’s first game in charge was an eventful one, going from a side that didn’t know what to do and to leave the match with all three points and scoring three was something the manager could only have dreamt of at half-time.

However, Pearson’s changes made the difference. Swansea seemed less threatening in the second-half and Bristol City managed to take their chances. The new boss proved that substitutes most definitely change games with Semenyo putting the game beyond doubt just a few minutes after coming on.

The Robins’ manager has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt with Watford and most notably Leicester City when he guided the club to one of the greatest of ‘great escapes’ in the 2014-15 season. Therefore, with the team just seven points off a play-off spot, Pearson thought he could do a job at Ashton Gate.

“It’s important to try and finish the season with not just a positive outcome but a positive feeling and mindset in terms of where we go from here.

“That’s my mission for the rest of the season, to try and be a part of something which feels positive and that’s a big part of how I work.”

A big clash awaits the Robins in the week as they host Bournemouth. A win for Bristol City could see them just four points off a play-off spot with the Cherries currently vacating the last spot.

For Swansea, it’s a cold Wednesday night at Stoke with both teams trying to regain some form after losses over the weekend.

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