ANDRE AYEW fired Swansea to a 1-0 victory against 10-man Brentford in Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg as the Ghana striker recovered from missing a penalty to grab the late winner.
Ayew saw his spot-kick saved by Brentford keeper David Raya in the second half at the Liberty Stadium.
But the former Marseille and West Ham star shrugged off that blow to score with a superb strike nine minutes from full-time.
Brentford had Rico Henry sent off for a studs-up lunge on Swansea right-back Connor Roberts soon after Ayew’s penalty miss.
Steve Cooper’s side will take their slender lead to Griffin Park for the second leg on Wednesday.
Swansea’s south Wales rivals Cardiff host Fulham in the other play-off semi-final first leg on Monday.
Brentford and Swansea have taken contrasting routes to the play-offs.
Heading into Wednesday’s final day of the regular season, Brentford were in with a chance of automatic promotion to the top-flight for the first time in 73 years.
But Thomas Frank’s team were beaten by lowly Barnsley, while West Bromwich Albion’s draw with QPR was enough to clinch second place above the Bees.
Swansea were underdogs to make the play-offs with just minutes left in their last game at Reading, but a late goal-blitz gave them a 4-1 win.
That result combined with Nottingham Forest’s 4-1 loss against Stoke was enough to lift Swansea into the top six on goal difference.
Bidding to return to the Premier League after a two-year absence, Swansea were on top for long periods against Brentford.
Ayew’s first half header hit the post before Raya smothered the rebound from on-loan Liverpool forward Rhian Brewster.
Brentford’s Said Benrahma squandered his side’s best chance when he blazed over.
Swansea won their penalty in the 63rd minute as Ayew found Brewster and he was brought down by Brentford captain Pontus Jansson.
Ayew tried to fool Raya with a stutter-step before his penalty, but the keeper stuck his hand out to save.
Just moments later, Henry saw red for his foul on Roberts and Ayew made Brentford pay in the 81st minute.
Conor Gallagher dinked a pass to Jay Fulton in the Brentford area and he laid off for Ayew to smash a half-volley into the roof of the net.
The 30-year-old’s 18th goal of the season will prove priceless if Swansea can seal their place in the Wembley final.
I got clubs most improved player at under 12s surely I must be expectating a 6 figure salary in china
€14000 Euro is about 101k Chinese Yuan so you could probably earn that teaching English over there if you accepted an offer as a teacher. Can you afford to turn down a six figure sum like that?
if that lad is worth 20m a year, i am surely worth the avg industrial wage am i ?
I had trials with Monaghan Utd, EMFA, Home Farm Everton and Newcastle West AFC once upon a time like…….
@Liam Dunne: ah he is ☺ juventus will be delighted to hear about him cheering them on.
What a waste of talent, this is going to be. This kid can and should be playing for one of the great european sides. Instead he has gone to chase cash in the Chinese Football pub league
If someone came along and offered you insane money to go to china to to your everyday job,you wouldn’t be interested?
The only reason those European teams are great is because they have the financial clout to go out and buy the best players available to them. What’s happening now is a long overdue case of what goes around comes around.
He went to Zenit for a big wage also, this lad has always put money first!
He’ll be able to look after his family for generations. In 60 years time that will be more important than whether he played a game for an Italian or a Chinese team.
The epitome of the modern day footballer, this youngster. Here’s a player regularly in the first XI of a nation that spent about a year in the top 2 of the FIFA rankings, who has only ever played in the Belgian, Portuguese and Russian leagues. And now he’s off to China.
His ambition is questionable at best, and his love of vast wealth not under any doubt. He went to Zenit for 40 million, so his family can’t be short a few bob.
How long before Continho goes ….
Old news this
Really? He signed 2 hours ago.
Fair play to him. A couple of years in China on mega money and return back to Europe.