West Bromwich Albion left Swansea City’s unbeaten away record in pieces with a crushing 5-1 victory at the Hawthorns.
First half goals from Semi Ajayi, Matheus Pereira and Hal Robson-Kanu set the hosts on their way, with Sam Surridge pulling one back just before the break.
Swansea couldn’t cope with their rampant opponents, who made sure of their return to the Championship after the interval courtesy of goals from Matt Phillips and substitute Kyle Edwards.
The result, the worst of Steve Cooper’s reign, leaves the Swans without a win in their last four league outings and keeps them 10 th, two points adrift of the play-offs.
Ajayi got the hosts up and running with a close-range header, before Pereira finished off a lovely flowing move to drill home and double the lead 10 minutes before the break.
Surridge, leading the line once again, got the visitors back into the contest by prodding home a Matt Grimes corner, before Robson-Kanu netted just before the break.
As good as West Brom were, Cooper will undoubtedly be asking questions of his defense, who endured a horrific day at the office and were cut to ribbons again midway through the second half as Phillips headed home a fourth, before Edwards netted another just minutes later to complete the rout.
Many will point to the quality of their opponents, who seem destined for a promotion challenge this season, but there can be no question that this was easily the worst performance of the Cooper era.
Cooper named an unchanged line-up from the side that impressed in the defeat at home to Fulham last Friday, and the Swans actually started brightly during the opening exchanges.
Kristoffer Peterson saw a header deflected wide within three minutes, before Surridge tested Sam Johnstone in the West Brom goal with a rasping volley inside the area.
Nevertheless, the hosts always looked a threat, with David Livermore trying his luck from distance on several occasion, the best of which required an acrobatic save from Freddie Woodman on 20 minutes.
Woodman was on hand again just moments later to deny Kyle Bartley’s point-blank header, although the former Swans man would still have a big say in the opening goal.
Pereira’s corner found Bartley at the far-post, with his cushioned header allowing Ajayi to nod home.
A shake of the head from the boss on the touchline told you everything you needed to know about what Cooper made of the defending for that opening goal, but his annoyance was to be compounded minutes before the break.
Some nice work on the left saw Grady Diangana feed Kieran Gibbs down the left, who teed up the onrushing Pereira to drill an effort past Woodman.
The hosts looked to be taking control, but Swansea pulled one back five minutes later, as Surridge shook off the attention of Bartley to bundle home a Matt Grimes corner from close range.
It was a moment that had the Baggies rattled – for all of three minutes.
Pereira, a constant thorn in the side of the Swans all afternoon, sliced open the Swansea defense with a simple ball through the middle, with Robson-Kanu making little mistake to net his sixth goal in nine games.
To see a Welsh striker in such good form ahead of an upcoming summer tournament may perhaps have been a small crumb of comfort for the traveling Swansea fans, but there was precious else to cling on to here.
Robson-Kanu turned provider just after the break, but his through ball couldn’t be converted by the rampant Pereira, who later caused havoc in the Swansea penalty area after flashing the ball across goal following a clever freekick routine.
The visible nerves in the Swans defense manifested again minutes from time as a mistake by Grimes allowed Pereira in yet again , with the Brazilian playing a dinked diagonal ball for Phillips, who guided a terrific header into the bottom corner of the net.
Swansea had only conceded seven league goals on the road all season before today, but the irresistible force of Slaven Bilic’s side provided a fifth goal of the afternoon when substitute Edwards swept home four minutes later, completing a miserable afternoon for Cooper’s side.
West Brom: Johnston, Ferguson, Bartley (Hegazi), Ajayi, Gibbs (Furlong, Sawyers, Livermore, Phillips, Costa Pereira, Diangana (Edwards, Robson-Kanu
Subs: Krovinovic, Austin, Barry, Bond
Swansea City: Woodman, Roberts, Wilmot, van der Hoorn, Naughton, Fulton, Grimes, Ayew (Kalulu******************************************************************************************************************, Byers (McKay Peterson (Dyer 45), Surridge
Subs (**********************: Nordfeldt, Carroll, Bidwell, Cabango
All over at the Hawthorns.
Horrific stuff from the Swans.
Two minutes added on here.
Here’s hoping this flies by …
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Kalulu is on for Ayew now.
Edwards nearly has a second.
Great burst of pace on the left hand side allows him to get into the area, but his low effort is just wide.
He’s only been on the pitch for three minutes, but Edwards is on hand to slot home inside the area.
Pereira the star of the show agaiun there, but it’s still too easy.
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Grimes will not want to see that again.
Dyer plays it back to him but he makes a total hash of it and Pereira nips in to steal the ball.
He breaks into the box and dinks a cross for Phillips, who makes no mistake with the header, which nestles into the bottom corner.
Game well and truly over.
Bartley is coming off here.
He’s replaced by Hegazi.
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Clash of heads between Ayew and Bartley. Break in play here.
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What a chance.
West Brom win another freekick midway inside the Swans half.
Philips decides to try something different and instead plays it low down the left, allowing Pereira to get behind the defense.
He squares across the six-yard box, but it only finds Naughton, who has Woodman to thank for stopping an own goal.
Gibbs looks to launch a West Brom attack on the left, but he’s pulled up there.
Looks a hamstring injury and he will be replaced by Darnell Furlong.
Dyer is the one tripped over this time. Similar position to the West Brom freekick.
Ferguson in the book for his trouble.
Byers floats it in. Johnstone gets a touch and it goes out for a corner, which is then cleared.
Cynical trip on Diangana midway inside the Swans half. Chance to whip one in here ..
Swansea survive.
Defense sliced open again.
Robson-Kanu opens up the center-back pairing again with a simple through ball down the middle.
Pereira is the man on the end of the pass, and he really should get a shot away, but he hesitates inside the area, cutting inside before hitting his ball into a crowd of Swans defenders.
Poor defending again, you know.
We’re back under way at the Hawthorns.
Dyer has indeed replaced Peterson, which means Ayew is more than likely now going to be moved to the center.
Players are on their way out once more, and it looks like Nathan Dyer is coming on for Kristoffer Peterson.
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Keith Andrews was examing the Bersant Celina question before kick- off today.
That’s the end of the first half.
Swansea have it all to do in the West Midlands.
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Two minutes added on here
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It just had to be him …
It’s really poor from Swansea’s point of view. They lose the ball from their own throw on the halfway line.
Pereira then plays a simple ball through the heart of the defense, with van der Hoorn guilty of giving Robson-Kanu a lake of space, and he beats the offside trap before applying a simple finish.
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A pretty bizarre goal, but Swansea won’t mind.
Peterson cuts insside from distance before seeing an effort deflected wide.
Grimes whips in the resulting corner, and it somehow gets caught under the feet of Surridge at the far-post, but he just about does enough to shake of Bartley and prod home.
Swansea back in this!
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It’s a decent move from West Brom, but from a Swans point of view, it’s far too easy.
Diangana feeds Gibbs on the overlap down the left, and the former Arsenal man squares to an onrushing Pereira inside the box, no one picking up the run, and he’s free to drill past Woodman.
High and wide from Diangana.
He looks a real handful today. Glides past Ayew before letting fly from distance.
Never looked like going in that one.
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Byers steps up, but he can only bend his freekick over the bar.
Ayew wins a freekick on the edge of the area here ….
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Deary me.
Pereira’s corner finds Bartley at the back post and his cushioned head across goal tees it up Ajayi to nod into the net.
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Woodman to the rescue again. He makes himself as big as possible to prevent Kyle Bartley heading home from point-blank range after a floated freekick into the box from midway inside the Swans half.
Looked a dive from Diangana to win it by the way ….
He’s hit it with some distance but he can’t keep it down.
Superb save.
Livermore once again has a crack from 30 yards and he hits it wonderfully.
It stings the palms of Woodman, who does well to tip over the bar. Swansea clear the resulting corner.
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High and wide from Livermore. He does well to feed Diangana down the left, who plays it off the defender to win a corner.
It’s played short and Swansea give Livermore far too much space inside the box but he makes a total mess of it and it’s hit high and wide.
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