Swansea comes from behind to win 5-4 and give Bob Bradley his first Premier League victory

On what looked like a quiet, forgettable slate of Premier League games, a nine-goal classic broke out.

Saturday’s match between Swansea and Palace was about more than just three points in the battle to avoid relegation. It was crucial for both managers to retain the confidence of their owners. Swansea’s Bob Bradley had yet to win a game since taking over the position, and this home match against Palace was the type that even teams at the bottom of the table expect to win. Palace had lost their previous six in all competitions, putting Alan Pardew on the hot seat.

Both teams had to win, giving them every incentive to take risks going forward. And perhaps more importantly, both teams are poor at defending even when they’re not taking risks — they were each in the bottom six for goals conceded before this game. What resulted was a wild match that ended with Swansea pulling off a dramatic comeback victory.

Palace took the lead in the first half through Wilfried Zaha, and Swansea equalized with a free kick by Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Icelandic star had more chances to show off his set piece ability, setting up both of Swansea’s next two goals — both off free kicks, both scored by substitute Leroy Fer.

But after going up 3-1, Swansea fell apart. A James Tomkins set piece goal, a Jack Cork own goal, and a dramatic go-ahead strike by Christian Benteke all found the back of the net in the spell of just nine minutes. Bradley, it appeared, was cursed.

Then Fernando Llorente did this.

Llorente, a legendary player for Athletic Bilbao in Spain, is past his prime. The 31-year-old seems to have been used up physically younger than most strikers, and substituting him on is usually a desperation move, one made when the best tactic you have is kicking it to the head of a 6’5 monster. Bradley apparently thinks of Llorente as limited enough that he made the decision to start with no strikers on the pitch, rather than give a start to El Rey Leon.

But Llorente, limited as he may be, still has a nose for goals. He can still sniff out a loose ball and poke it into the back of the net, should he manage to beat a defender to it, and he found a way to do it twice in stoppage time for Swansea. The Palace defenders all looked as if they’d seen a ghost when Swansea’s fifth goal found the back of the net.

When the final whistle sounded — after Palace pushed hard for an equalizer — their entire team collapsed to the floor as if they’d just been relegated. It’s only November, and they’re not even in the drop zone. The Liberty Stadium exploded as if their team had just won a trophy.

Not only was this the wildest, most exciting game of the Premier League season, but it had the feeling of a decisive May fixture as well. It had everything. And it might cost a manager his job, too.