Ayew brothers can carry Swansea to safety - team-mates
The Ayew brothers have been backed to cause double trouble and free Swansea from their Premier League relegation worries.
Swansea moved out of the drop zone and climbed five places to 13th by beating West Ham 4-1 on Saturday – their biggest league win of the season.
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Andre Ayew was involved in three of the goals against his former club, while brother Jordan produced an equally impressive performance and claimed his 10th goal of the campaign from the penalty spot.
“They were brilliant, they don’t stop running,” said Andy King, the on-loan Leicester midfielder who marked his first Swansea start with the third goal just after half-time.
“They are a real outlet and set that pressure and tone from the front.
“Andre has got minutes under his belt in his first start, so I am sure he will get better.”
The older Ayew sibling certainly played as if he had a point to prove against the club he left in January for £18million.
He set up Ki Sung-yueng’s eighth-minute opener before assisting King’s close-range finish and winning the penalty which Jordan coolly converted.
“Andre wanted to show something against his old team,” said Mike van der Hoorn, who gave Swansea a two-goal cushion before the break with his second goal in English football.
“That was good for us and it really helped the way the brothers put the energy into our attack.
“As individuals they are top players, but with each other they are really connected.”
Swansea have accumulated 17 points in manager Carlos Carvalhal’s nine league games, a remarkable run which has taken them off the bottom of the table.
But they had to display mettle after a 4-1 setback at Brighton last weekend, with Dutch defender Van der Hoorn, saying: “We showed that was just one bad day.
“It was all about the response from the team, because before that defeat we did great.
“What we can’t do now is have another bad day at Huddersfield next week, we need to stay sharp and stay focused.”
West Ham had the consolation of a late Michail Antonio strike, but a second successive 4-1 defeat dropped them below Swansea on goal difference.
David Moyes’ stuttering side have won only once in six games, and there was more gloom as Winston Reid became the latest defensive casualty after he was carried off in the early stages with a knee injury.
“It was one of those games where if something could have gone wrong it went wrong,” skipper Mark Noble told www.whufc.com.
“We’ve spoken in the dressing room and we need to put this behind us as there is no point dwelling on it.
“We’ve got nine more games and we need to pick points up.
“I can’t believe how many fans turned up, to be honest.
“We drove through the snow on Friday and it took us just under seven hours to get here on a coach, but it was a poor performance from us.”