By Graham Thomas
1) This was no Cup final.
Some had called this fixture with the grimmest of consequences a Cup final, but that was not an apt description since this always felt more about the jeopardy than the glory.
It more resembled a final attempt to avoid obliteration by two diminished prize fighters who knew the loser had nowhere to go – like David Haye versus Audley Harrison.
Both sets of fans sounded shrill, as if the anxieties on the field were nothing compared to those in the stands. All they seemed to crave there was effort and activity, however limited the end product.
2) Swans have lost their way.
They used to call it the Swansea Way, a stylish passing game pioneered in the lower divisions by their former manager Roberto Martinez and buffed with care by Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup.
But that was then. This was another home game at the Liberty Stadium that served to show how far Swansea have veered off that course.
They now rely on set-pieces and balls pumped forward for the Ayew brothers, Jordan and Andre, to chase into the corners. There were some fleeting moments when the hustle and bustle of Jordan threatened to disturb the calm Mark Hughes had called for from Southampton, but they were rare.
3) Mark Hughes has added steel
When Mark Hughes first went into Southampton, it appeared he had no solution to their tendency to concede soft goals against all opposition.
But there was a certain steel and resilience here that echoed their gutsy display at Everton last weekend. The manager who breathed Welsh fire in the direction of the reservation department at the Swansea Marriott Hotel, seems also to have stiffened the resolve of defenders like Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek, who gave little away against Swansea.
Throw in Hughes’ capacity to suddenly give a little more belief further upfield to the likes of Ryan Bertrand and Dusan Tadic and it becomes apparent why the players would like him to stay.
4) Charlie Austin has lost the knack – but Manolo Gabbiadini has found his.
Charlie Austin has scoed just seven times in 24 matches for Southampton this season, but the mark of a true goalscorer has always been the ability to pop one in, even when everything else is going wrong around him.
That moment arrived for Austin after exactly one hour last night, when a cross from the right found Austin in space. It was his moment to show the deadly instinct is still there, the predator’s hunger.
Instead, Austin found only the gloves of Lukasz Fabianski with a tame header, just as he had found the Swansea goalkeeper with a volley in the first half.
When Fabianski denied him for the third time, however, substitute Gabbiadini pounced.
5) Carlos Carvalhal has run out of metaphors
The Portuguese who lit up the Premier League with his fishy tales and analogies at the turn of the year appears to have lost the ability to inspire.
Not only have Swansea ground to a halt in terms of their ability to collect points, but Carvalhal’s language has become more predictable, in line with his team.
His insistence of playing five at the back stopped them conceding three months ago, but it has made overly cautious in recent weeks and the distrust of Tammy Abraham means Swansea’s one natural goalscorer has become a peripheral figure.
