Swans to United: 'And You're Still Ugly'

Published on 16-Aug-2014 by J Square Humboldt

Soccer    Soccer Daily Update

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Swans to United: 'And You're Still Ugly'

Halley's comet swooshes through space within view of Earthlings every 75 years.

Intervals between Swansea City victories at Old Trafford are apparently 83.

That time span was sealed today as Swans secured a 2-1 result over a Manchester United side that confirmed to new manager Louis van Gaal that he's walked into a tall order, even when his vaunted transfers actually show up.

Memories are distant of their 1932 triumph there, a 3-1 triumph in the Second Division when they were still a Town and the Red Devils were decades away from the 1958 plane crash that catapulted them into the world's sympathies, which in turn morphed them into the world's largest sporting brand.

Swans' story arc is slightly different. Seemingly anchored in the shadow of Cardiff -- as the Bluebirds assumed their influence and deluded bombast entitled them to a fan base well beyond the Welsh capital's bounds -- Swansea beat them to the Premiership and have been a useful side ever since.

And that was on display today to a suddenly silenced throng in the 28th minute:

The glory play, though, came from a predictable source, as captain Wayne Rooney got on his bike to tie the match in the 53rd minute:

By then, van Gaal had switched from his signature 3-4-1-2 shape to a more desperate 4-2-3-1 alignment, but Swans still had little trouble advancing the ball. Their payoff came 20 minutes after Rooney's equalizer, as Iceland transfer Gylfi Sigurðsson sniped the decider:

And with that, Swans looked very much like a sure bet to beat the comet next time around.