No 'moral wins', but some defeats easier to take

Vitor Matos pointed out after defeat at Coventry City that no points are handed out for "moral wins".

But it could also have been suggested that some defeats are more painful than others.

Head coach Matos is right, of course. With their league position perilous, Swansea City cannot come away from a loss with any satisfaction.

But a narrow reverse at the home of the runaway Championship leaders is easier to take than most, particularly given that Swansea did enough to get something from the game.

Matos' side had more possession than Coventry and, significantly, a higher xG - 1.22 compared to 1.02 - than their hosts.

The statistics also highlight the fact that the vast majority of Coventry's threat came from set-pieces, which makes sense given that the only goal came from one of Milan van Ewijk's long throws.

It could be argued that in open play, Swansea outplayed the Championship's standout team this season.

Matos' players must view that as an encouraging sign as they look to pull clear of relegation danger.

"We need to keep believing that the better we play, the more close we are to winning; the better we press, the more close we are to winning; the better we have the ball, the more close we are to winning," Matos said after Ephron Mason-Clark's goal secured Coventry's victory.

"We got the performance, now we need to fight for the result."

Coventry was a fourth defeat in Matos' seven games as Swansea head coach, with three of the losses coming away from home.

Swansea are yet to avoid defeat on the road under Matos, having most recently secured an away point during the final days of Alan Sheehan's reign, courtesy of the 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic on 1 November.

The Swans could really do with changing that record on the final away day of 2025, at Oxford United this Monday night.

Despite their defeat, Matos' players should travel to with some belief in the wake of their trip to Coventry.