Mile Jedinak penalty gives Palace draw at Swansea

Swansea failed to convert enough chances against Crystal Palace as they drew 1-1 at the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea opened the scoring when Wilfried Bony got his seventh of the season, showing why he is the top scorer of the calendar year. He span the defender with his back to goal after receiving a Gylfi Sigurdsson pass, and with his second drilled a shot into the far corner.

Palace struggled to match Swansea’s energy or technical ability, and equalised only because Jonjo Shelvey came through the back of Marouane Chamakh as Swansea failed to clear a corner. Mile Jedinak’s penalty was poor, but placed just far enough away from Lukasz Fabianksi to sneak in.

In the second half, Swansea continued to dominate possession, but struggled to break through the Palace defence. The best chance came when Jonjo Shelvey chested down a cross in the box, and fired from 10 yards out straight into the Julian Speroni’s arms. Sigurdsson proceeded to waste several chances throughout the half, and Palace held on for a deserved draw.

16’ - GOAL! Swansea 1-0 Crystal Palace. Wilfried Bony scores: Sigurdsson plays a firm ball into Bony in the box, with his back to goal. With his first touch he spins the defender, and with his second he pulls a shot low into the far corner.

24’ - PENALTY! Williams heads a ball aimed for Scott Dann away from the box. Ward takes again, Scott Dann brings it down, the ball falls to Chamakh in the box, who tumbles under the attention of Shelvey who sticks a leg in from behind, and the ref awards a penalty.

25’ - GOAL! Swansea City 1-1 Crystal Palace. Jedinak scores: It's down the middle, and Fabianski can get a hand to it, but not enough to keep the ball out of the net.

29’ - CHAMAKH CHANCE: Chamakh goes close for Palace. After about a solid minute of possession a Palace cross bounces off Williams into the path of Chamakh, and Fabianksi is out smartly to block his shot from close range.

31’ - FABIANSKI SAVE: Yannick Bolasie comes down the left wing, turns onto his right just outside the box, and he sends in a dipping shot that Fabianksi tips onto the crossbar and over.

34’ - SPERONI SAVE: Bony lays the ball off to Sigurdsson, who finds Wayne Routledge's run into the box with a clever ball forward, and Routledge fires his shot straight at Speroni.

63’ - SIGURDSSON SHOT: Sigurdsson goes close. Dann hoofs the ball into the air after Boney miscontrols a Shelvey cross, the ball drops outside the box and Sigurdsson whips a volley, well struck, straight at Speroni again.

79’ - SIGURDSSON EFFORT: The ball is worked to Sigurdsson, who is in space on the edge of the D, and he fizzes a shot just wide of the corner with his left foot.

Swansea City have won four and drawn three of the last seven meetings with Crystal Palace.

Wilfried Bony is the top scoring Premier League player in 2014 with 18 goals.

Bony has scored six goals in his last seven Premier League outings for Swansea.

However, Crystal Palace have also scored the most goals from set-pieces (10, including penalties) in the Premier League this season.

Should Chamakh have remained on the pitch? He only received a single booking for a late and cynical lunge in midfield, but he should have been booked earlier for clear dissent in the early stages of the game. As well as that, he also escaped a second yellow for a handball to block a cross. Given Dwight Gayle’s early injury and his move up the pitch as a result, Palace were lucky to keep him on the pitch until his substitution.

Marouane Chamakh (Crystal Palace): While he was fortunate to remain on the pitch, it was he who won the penalty for Jedinak’s equaliser. His tactical flexibility allowed Palace to adapt to Gayle’s injury in the first half and his discipline allowed his side to claim a point when they were dominated by a suffocating Swansea side.

Swansea City: Fabianski 6, Rangel 6, Bartley 6, Williams 6, Taylor 6, Ki 6, Shelvey 6, Sigurdsson 7, Routledge 6, Montero 6, Bony 7. Subs: Barrow 6, Gomis 6.

Crystal Palace: Speroni 7, Ward 6, Hangeland 6, Dann 6, Kelly 5, Bolasie 7, Jedinak 6, Gayle 6, Ledley 5, Puncheon 6, Chamakh 7. Subs: McArthur 6, Campbell 6, Zaha 6.