Clement delighted with ´big result´ in battle to beat the drop

Swansea City manager Paul Clement insists the battle to avoid relegation is yet to be won but hailed a “big result” after his side eased to a 2-0 victory at Sunderland on Saturday.

First-half goals from Fernando Llorente and Kyle Naughton – the full-back’s first in the Premier League – enabled the Welsh club to move four points clear of Hull City ahead of the Tigers’ clash with fellow strugglers Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Defeat for Hull will see them slip back into the Championship after just one season in the top flight.

Clement told Sky Sports: “It was a really important game for us and a big result.

“We were confident, we’ve played well in the last three games, our form has been good.

“The first half was strong from us and the goal before half-time gave us the confidence to see the game out. The second half was not pretty but we got the job done.”

YES!!! The #Swans earn a huge points at the Stadium of Light! #SUNSWA pic.twitter.com/1YwaaHUE2G

— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) May 13, 2017

Naughton’s strike, a fine effort across Jordan Pickford and into the top left-hand corner, was a bonus, according to the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich assistant manager.

He added: “I’d have been happy to go in at 1-0 but Kyle got that rare goal.

“A lot of those go in our car park at the training ground. That goal was a great moment.”

Asked if he’d watch Hull’s trip to Palace, Clement said: “Yeah, I’ll watch it. The fact we got the result puts the pressure on Hull and Palace.

“We’ve got ourselves in a strong position but we don’t think it’s done.”

Long-serving midfielder Leon Britton was pleased to have piled the pressure on Hull.

He said: “It’s a massive win for us. We knew coming up here and playing the day before that we wanted to get the win and put the pressure on Hull.

“It wasn’t the prettiest of games but we’re pleased to get the three points.”