Swansea 2-2 Liverpool: Shelvey the maker and breaker in topsy-turvy match

Jonjo Shelvey had a hand
in all four goals as his
former club Liverpool
returned to top spot with
a 2-2 draw against
Swansea on Monday.
Shelvey scored the first
after just two minutes before twice giving the
ball away for Daniel Sturridge and Victor Moses
to score and put Liverpool ahead at the break.
However, the midfielder atoned for his earlier
errors, heading into the path of Michu to
equalize after 63 minutes as Liverpool dropped
points for the first time this season.
Brendan Rodgers handed debuts to two of his
deadline-day acquisitions, with Mamadou Sakho
and Moses both making their Liverpool bows.
For Swansea, Leon Britton and Nathan Dyer
replaced Jose Canas and Pablo Hernandez.
Shelvey opened his account for the Welsh club
early on as his former employers conceded for
the first time in the league this term.
The 21-year-old miscued a volley from the edge
of the area but picked up the loose ball, evaded
a challenge in the box and steered a calm finish
past Simon Mignolet.
However, Shelvey's night took a turn for the
worse two minutes later as his loose backpass
towards Michel Vorm found Sturridge.
August's player of the month made no mistake as
he pounced to equalize and, in the process,
become the first player to score in each of
Liverpool's first four games of a Premier League
season.
After the two early goals, chances were few and
far between thereafter until the 25th minute,
when Moses dug out a cross from the left wing
for Sturridge, who forced a scrambled save from
Vorm with his close-range header.
Michu and Wilfried Bony linked well for Swansea
just short of the half-hour mark, only for the
Ivorian to shoot tamely at Mignolet.
But Liverpool went ahead eight minutes before
the break as Moses seized on another sloppy
pass from Shelvey to race through and fire past
Vorm.
Bony almost leveled after Mignolet parried
Dyer's save shortly after but Martin Skrtel's
block proved crucial as he kept his side ahead.
Andre Wisdom brought a good save from Vorm
seven minutes into the second half, after the
Dutchman had parried a Jordan Henderson
effort.
Shelvey's eventful night continued three minutes
after the hour when he neatly nodded the ball
into Michu's path for the Spaniard to level the
scores from close range.
Jonathan de Guzman saw a late free kick tipped
wide by Mignolet as Swansea finished the game
on top without finding a winner.
The hosts climb to 13th, while Liverpool edges
ahead of Arsenal and Tottenham at the summit.