Jordan Ayew believes Swansea City have taken a big step towards turning their season around – even though they failed to take all three points against Bournemouth.
The Swans striker insisted the goalless draw at home to the Cherries on Saturday represented the team’s best display of the season.
The point keeps Paul Clement’s side still in the relegation zone and two points adrift of those on the other side of the trap door but it did end a run of four straight Premier League defeats.
Swansea remain 19th with just nine points after 13 matches and a very difficult trip to Chelsea next up on Wednesday, but Ayew said: “We feel we should have three points, but at least we have one and we didn’t lose the game.
“We tried our best to win but when things are not going your way, it sometimes doesn’t happen.
“I think it was our best performance of the season – the gaffer said that. It’s something to build on and hopefully we can take into in the next games. We have set the standard now.”
Ayew said his teammates had been extra motivation to win the game in honour of teammate Federico Fernandez. The Argentine defender had pulled out of the game late on due to the death of his father.
Fernandez has returned home and Ayew added: “We are fully behind Fede. It’s a very sad moment. When the gaffer told us before the game, we were all sad.
“We did our best to win the game for Fede but things didn’t go our way. We wish him and his family well. We will support when he comes back.”
Striker Wilfried Bony said he hoped to play a bigger part in leading the club to safety after Clement picked him to start for only the third time since returning to the club from Manchester City at the start of the season.
The 28-year-old, who netted 34 goals in 70 appearances in his first spell between 2013 and 2015, had a goal chalked off in the first half on Saturday.
Bony said: “It is Swansea who give me everything that I am now.
“So I just need to come back and do my best for them to see the Bony they bought for the first time. It has, of course, been a stop-start season since coming back because I didn’t play for a long time.”