Bafetimbi Gomis stepped up to the mark for Swansea, helping them earn a 1-1 draw with West Ham having gone a goal down to a quality goal by Andy Carroll.
Gomis came into the side in attack in the absence of Wilfried Bony, who has departed for the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and looks set to join Manchester City. And after Carroll had opened the scoring with a superb left-footed strike two minutes before half-time, Gomis was instrumental in Swansea's equaliser.
Gomis rose highest from a Gylfi Sigurdsson corner to head across goal in the 74th minute, with Mark Noble inadvertently touching the ball into his own net. The former Lyon man Gomis produced a French flag as he celebrated his leveller in an apparent tribute to the victims of the recent Paris terror attacks.
Assistant manager Neil McDonald stood in for the unwell Sam Allardyce in West Ham's dugout, but the Hammers set up in a new formation – starting with three across the back, flanked by wide men Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell. Despite the tactical tinkering, an even game ended all square, and so Swansea and West Ham remain ninth and seventh in the table respectively.
- Andy Carroll has netted 3 in 2 games against Swansea this season.
- Overall, the striker has bagged 4 goals and assisted 3 in 6 Premier League games against the Swans.
- Swansea have been losing 1-0 at half-time in each of their last 3 Premier League games.
- The Hammers have found the back of the net in 9 of their last 10 Premier League games.
- Carroll scored with West Ham's only shot on target in the first half.
- Swansea have scored in each of their last 11 top-tier fixtures.
- The own-goal was West Ham’s first own-goal in their last 44 Premier League games (their last came against Liverpool in December 2013).
- Stewart Downing has been involved in as many Premier League goals this season (11 – 4 goals and 7 assists) as he managed in his previous 3 campaigns.
- Sam Allardyce’s side have kept just 1 clean sheet in their last 8 Premier League matches.
- The Hammers have won just 1 of their last 6 top-tier games, drawing 3 and losing 2.
- The Swans have scored exactly 1 goal in each of their last 7 Premier League games.
