Russell Martin praises composed Joel Piroe after Swansea’s win over West Brom

Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion – Sky Bet Championship – Swansea.com Stadium
(Image credit: David Davies)

Swansea head coach Russell Martin hailed the ice-cool finishing of Joel Piroe after his team sealed a 2-1 Sky Bet Championship comeback win over West Brom.

Karlan Grant scored after just 52 seconds to put the Baggies ahead but Swansea gradually grew into the game and were the better team in the second half.

Piroe levelled after collecting a Jamie Paterson long ball and then turned creator for Paterson who scored the winner by nutmegging former Swan Kyle Bartley for a sublime finish.

Paterson and Piroe both netted in Swansea’s 3-0 Welsh derby hammering of Cardiff on Sunday and they did the business again as Martin’s men earned back-to-back wins in just four days.

Martin said: “It wasn’t an ideal start and we spoke to the guys about the importance of starting well against a team like West Brom who have a lot of quality.

“The way we reacted was incredible really. We played really well and with a lot of intensity, especially in the second half against a team who are very hard to play against.

“I think we deserved to win. We wanted to back up the derby performance with another one and thankfully we did that.

“We joke with Joel that he needs to calm down in front of goal, but he doesn’t feel any pressure. He possesses the qualities of all the top players and it’s incredible really for a player of his young age.

“When he’s involved, he’s involved in key moments and it’s the same with Jamie.

“We have started slowly but the performances have got better and in the last two games we have added quality and composure in the final third. We have had two big results and performances.”

Paterson did give the ball away in the first minute and Callum Robinson and Matty Phillips combined to give Grant the simplest of finishes.

But Swansea came roaring back and deserved to win. Piroe and Paterson now have eight and five goals respectively for Martin’s men this season.

Paterson was released by Bristol City this summer while Piroe was signed for just £1million from PSV Eindhoven by Martin’s predecessor Steve Cooper.

Albion head coach Valerien Ismael said: “We are disappointed to lose the game. We started well and had a good forward press which forced Swansea to play a lot of long balls.

“Our problem throughout the game was our transition and we lost the ball too quickly. This was the reason Swansea got back into the game. We had a big chance to take the lead after Swansea scored with Matty and the goalkeeper made a big save.

“We don’t need to overreact because we play our next game on Saturday at home. We need a reaction and the right mentality. The Championship is a long season and every team will struggle at some point because every team is of such high quality.”

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