Joe Allen came off the bench to score a stoppage-time equaliser for Swansea City in their 1-1 draw against Championship promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion.
The managerless Baggies, who had been linked with Swansea’s head coach, Luke Williams, in the days leading up to the match, had the upper hand in a goalless but open first half, with opportunities at both ends.
Substitute Tom Fellows put West Brom ahead with a precise low finish early in the second half, and Swansea struggled to respond, producing a lackluster performance after the break.
However, in the second minute of injury time, Wales midfielder Allen headed in from a cross by Ronald, securing a crucial point for the Swans.
The draw keeps West Brom in sixth place in the Championship, while Swansea move up to 11th, six points behind the play-off spots ahead of Saturday’s 15:00 kick-offs.
There was some irony in Swansea hosting West Brom after a week in which Williams faced questions about speculation linking him to the Baggies.
The former Notts County manager was initially the bookmakers’ favourite to replace Carlos Corberan, and after initially not addressing the rumours in media interviews, Williams later confirmed he was staying at Swansea.
Swans chairman Andy Coleman described the situation as “unhelpful,” but it didn’t appear to affect the team’s performance as they made a strong start to the game.
Both sides had early chances, with Swansea creating some of the better opportunities—Liam Cullen headed over, and Josh Key had a shot blocked after a scramble in the penalty area from a corner.
West Brom looked dangerous on the counter-attack but were often thwarted by Swansea’s centre-back Harry Darling, who made timely and decisive interventions to deny Josh Maja and Karlan Grant.
The Baggies nearly took the lead in controversial fashion when a ball deflected onto defender Darnell Furlong’s hand inside the box, but despite strong penalty appeals from the home crowd, play continued and Jayson Molumby fired wide.
As the first half progressed, West Brom began to take control, with Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux making crucial saves to deny Grant and Mikey Johnston.
The visitors eventually found the breakthrough midway through the second half when Molumby carried the ball forward and passed to Fellows, who shifted to his left and finished past Vigouroux at the near post.
The match grew disjointed, and Swansea, lacking the fluidity and tempo of their first-half performance, struggled to find an equaliser. West Brom came close to doubling their lead when Fellows fired a half-volley over the bar.
Some Swansea supporters may have questioned Williams’ decision to replace forward Cullen with midfielder Allen, but it proved to be a masterstroke as the 34-year-old scored his first goal since March 2024, glancing in from Ronald’s cross to salvage a valuable point for the Swans.