Man Utd are at risk of leaving the top 4 of the Premier League after a deadlocked performance at Liberty Stadium.

Rooney was returned to the attack alongside Van Persie but the duo failed to make an impression. Photo: Reuters.

Man Utd could not continue to gain points with their lackluster play. On a day when Man Utd's strikers were silent, the Red Devils suffered their second defeat to the Black Swan this season.

The visitors took control of the game right from the opening whistle and opened the scoring through Ander Herrera in the 28th minute. However, Man Utd's advantage only lasted for two minutes before Ki Sung Yeung equalized for Swansea. In the second half, Man Utd were defeated by a cannon shot from Jonjo Shelvey after the ball lightly hit Gomis' head and went into the net.

The defeat to Swansea saw Man Utd lose third place to Arsenal. They could lose their current fourth place if Southampton get at least one point against Liverpool in round 26.

This is a heavy blow to Man Utd's ambition to return to the Champions League. The Manchester team has been criticized constantly recently for Van Gaal's playing style and personnel arrangement, but has been supported by positive results with only one loss in the last 19 matches. The defeat to Swansea is the bottleneck that forced Man Utd to look back at themselves after Van Gaal's statement "strongest in the Premier League".

Meanwhile, Swansea have proven to be Man Utd's nemesis this season. The Welsh team beat Man Utd 2-1 in both legs. This is the first time Swansea have taken all points from the Red Devils in an English league season. Midfielder Ki Sung Yeung became the first Asian player to score against Man Utd in two legs in one season.

The win over Man Utd also helped Swansea almost certainly stay in the league. The team has won 37 points and has 12 more rounds to fight for a European cup spot.

Ki Sung-Yeung opened the scoring for Swansea's comeback. Photo: Reuters.

Man Utd continued to dominate possession as in recent matches but it was Swansea who had the real danger. Gomis had only one Premier League goal before this match but he missed two good opportunities to open the scoring early in the game, notably a header that was blocked by Herrera on the goal line.

Coach Van Gaal decided to leave Falcao on the bench and put Rooney back in the attack next to Van Persie. His change may have calmed public opinion but did not solve the deadlock in Man Utd's playing style. The two stars on the attack line, Di Maria and Van Persie, both lost form, causing Man Utd's attacking situations to continuously pass by.

Herrera's goal was just a short moment of happiness for Man Utd. Photo: Reuters.

Man Utd's stalemate was even evident when coach Van Gaal sent Ashley Young onto the field at the end of the match and continuously crossed the ball towards the tall player Fellaini.

Man Utd had just two good combinations in the 90 minutes, one missed by Van Persie and the other by Herrera. Herrera's goal came after a fast, short-touch attack, which is what Man Utd are looking for at the moment.

Shelvey's decisive shot surprised the entire Man Utd defense. Photo: Reuters.

Herrera was Man Utd's best player but Swansea had a more impressive midfielder in Jonjo Shelvey. The former Liverpool player assisted Ki Sung Yeung's equaliser with a left-footed cross. Shelvey then sank Man Utd with a 20-yard cannonball that left De Gea helpless. However, the goal was credited to Gomis as the ball hit his head before hitting the Man Utd net.

In the final minutes, Man Utd tried to find an equalizer but they could not even create a real dangerous chance towards Fabianski's goal. After the defensive crisis at the beginning of the season, Man Utd are now probably facing an offensive crisis as they have played poorly against all opponents./.

According to Vnexpress