Sigurdsson expects Premier League survival battle to go to last match

Gylfi Sigurdsson expects the battle for Premier League survival to be decided on the season’s final weekend.

The Swansea City star scored a brilliant free-kick to salvage a 1-1 draw for his 18th-placed side at Manchester United on Sunday, matching the useful point collected by Hull City – the team immediately above the relegation zone – against Southampton.

Sigurdsson has hit nine Premier League goals this season but his side remain two points behind Hull, with just three matches of the campaign still to play, and the Iceland international believes things will be decided on the final day.

“We’re a point closer now to hope,” Sigurdsson said. “It doesn’t give Hull too much breathing space and they can’t afford to slip up too many times now. It was important for us not to be going away with nothing.

“We’re getting to the end of the season where teams are fighting for their lives and they are going to get results. We’re focusing on ourselves and putting the pressure on them so we don’t give them any chances to escape.

“I think it is going to go all the way to the last game. They probably didn’t expect us to get anything from the game today. It’s good for us to cancel out the point they got.”

Great performance from the whole team at Old Trafford. Thanks to the fans for their great support! #MUNSWA #ComeOnSwans #JackArmy #Vamosss pic.twitter.com/gOQMJeF9HC

— fernando llorente (@llorentefer19) April 30, 2017

United’s opener was controversial as Marcus Rashford went down easily under a challenge from Lukasz Fabianski, but Sigurdsson felt the penalty – converted by Wayne Rooney – was a tough call for the officials.

“We can’t be blaming someone else or the officials. We should have made sure we got our points earlier than coming into the last three games,” he said.

“It’s totally down to us that we’re in this position, it’s not down to decisions here or in the next few games. We’ve got to look at ourselves and put it right.

Boys were different class today, dug in deep and earned an important point! Onto the next one let’s keep this momentum going pic.twitter.com/lHZCzORM63

— Stephen Kingsley (@stephokingsley) April 30, 2017

“If you’d asked me to put money on it [the decision], if I was 100 per cent sure, I wasn’t. It didn’t look like he touched him too much but it’s difficult for the refs because they don’t have the chance of a replay.”