Bony back among the goals in Stoke win

Confidence, however, remains brittle for a team second from bottom in the table and four points behind Stoke in 17th.

After the clash at the Liberty Stadium on New Year’s Day 2014, Manuel Pellegrini declared his admiration for two-goal Bony, describing him as a “very good striker”.

To compound the Swans’ misery, both were laid on by Joe Allen, who was heavily linked with a return to South Wales before Stoke swooped this summer, and the Potters’ other strike, which arrived after Wayne Routledge’s equaliser, came via an Alfie Mawson own goal.

Bob Bradley believes his Spanish strikers possess the fire power to steer Swansea away from relegation danger.

Stoke would take the lead again not long after, although it came via a Swans player. The damage could have been even more severe-Stoke hit the woodwork three times in the first half alone.

“You can see that from the reaction of everybody once he scored his first goal – the guys were all delighted for him because they know how important a player for us he is”.

Of course, it was always going to be old faces to prove so punishing to it. “Stoke are a good challenge physically and they had moments when they got the best of us”.

“The key is to have different types of players to give the opposition different types of problems”.

Startled by the start, fear spread through Swansea’s side with Stoke eager to punish a team whose confidence remains fragile for crucial patches in games. Within five minutes he could smile again, though.

Swansea thought they had grabbed a lifeline when Routledge was awarded a penalty after 82 minutes, only for referee Michael Oliver to change the decision to a free-kick just outside the area, where Erik Pieters had first committed the foul.

Gylfi Sigurdsson had two big chances to score, striking the post on one occasion, and substitute Fernando Llorente also fired over from close range.

As so often this season, Swansea was done in by weak defending.

It would be hit a third time, this time by Marko Arnautovic.

Be it a Tuesday or Wednesday night – or in Swansea’s case a Monday – the micro-climate at Stoke is supposed to send shivers down the spine of any individual who might not be familiar with the vagaries of English football. And I can’t see Swansea banging a load of goals in themselves.

Another Stoke forward enduring a tough campaign is Peter Crouch, who has started just once in the league this term and hit the headlines as he jokingly responded to a fan’s tweet about Federation Internationale de Football Association 17 by posting: “At least I’m getting a game somewhere”.