Two at the Liberty Stadium were enough to give Tottenham Hotspur all three points and lift Spurs back above their North-London rivals Arsenal.

Former Swansea striker Fernando Llorente capped his return to South Wales with a goal, nodding home from Christian Eriksen’s cross.

Dele Alli sealed all three points in the 89th minute, finishing past Lukasz Fabianski on the second attempt after substitute Harry Kane's sublime lofted pass.

The result moves Spurs back into fifth, four points behind Liverpool with a game in hand.

Soaking conditions make for intriguing affair

Two early stray touches by Swansea defenders did little to ease the nerves, as torrential rain and wind made for difficult conditions at the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea aimed to rid the memories of a disappointing 2017, where they were able to escape the clutches of relegation only to put themselves in a worse position the following season through poor decision making.

Spurs started confidently, spraying the ball around and getting inside Swansea’s penalty area with ease even without their talisman Kane, on the bench after a bout of illness.

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Llorente returns with a bang

The man tasked with replacing Spurs’ record-breaking goalscorer did just that after 12 minutes, Llorente headed past Fabianski with ease following an Eriksen free kick.

The Spaniard scored on his first return to the Liberty Stadium, where he spent last season saving the Swans from relegation with an 15 goal return. This was his first league start for the side that spent upwards of £10 million for the 32-year-old in the summer, however the goal did not come without controversy.

Llorente looked a yard offside as the cross came in from Eriksen. However the goal was no more than what the away side deserved, their pressure as heavy as the rain’s.

After strong encouragement from manager Carlos Carvalhal on the touchline, Swansea pressed Spurs higher up the pitch and even created a few chances. The pick of their efforts in the first half coming from Alfie Mawson, the centre-back connected with a corner that Hugo Lloris managed to deny with his fingertips.

Their spell was made even more impressive considering Swansea ranked 20th in danger-zone passes (excluding crosses) this season, going into the game with just 61 in 21 games. (Via Understat)

Feisty second half

Swansea came out firing after the restart. Fine play by Renato Sanches to win the ball back and set up a counter allowed Nathan Dyer to fire wide from 20 yards.

After an injury to captain Angel Rangel, Swansea were forced into a change of system and went 4-3-3, moving Mike van der Hoorn to right-back as Kyle Naughton missed the game through suspension.

Davinson Sanchez could have been shown a second yellow card after 55 minutes for a clumsy foul on Martin Olsson. Referee Bobby Madley decided to issue a final warning to the Colombian who was then subbed off minutes later, much to the displeasure of the home faithful.

Fabianski palmed Eriksen’s free-kick away, before Lloris denied Luciano Narsingh his second goal in as many games as the games began to stretch.

Swansea had their chances towards the end, as Ayew was able to get past Eric Dier, dribbling round Lloris with an open goal waiting for him but the Ghanaian couldn't get his shot away before the ball was cleared.

From the resulting corner, van der Hoorn's glancing header struck the post as Swansea began to feel that this game was not away from them.

Spurs didn't fail to remind the hosts that they were a threat, subbing on Harry Kane before Son Heung-Min volleyed wide with 15 minutes to go.

Alli seals it

After countless pressure by the home side, Spurs countered through Kane as the striker lofted a wonderful pass to Alli before the midfielder finished past Fabianski on the second attempt.

Kane swept a ball from the left-hand side to Alli, his England teammate was in acres of space inside the box. His first shot was denied by the goalkeeper but the 21-year-old was able to bundle the ball home minutes before the full-time whistle.

Despite the result, Swansea and Carvalhal will be pleased with their performance. The home side were the better team for large portions of the game and signs of improvement from Paul Clement’s reign are beginning to appear.

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About the author
Jack Mceachen
Sports Journalist in Staffordshire University.