It is hard to come up with enough superlatives to describe Swansea's performance against Liverpool, and since I'm writing this a little late after the fact, it seems pointless to regurgitate the same sentiments that have been flowing freely since Saturday. Suffice it to say, the Swans put in an excellent performance, and once again took visible strides towards becoming a legitimate long-term proposition as a top flight club.

Wayne Routledge excelled on the left wing in place of an injured Scott Sinclair, and put in a performance worthy of a future selection dilemma. He took on double teams with ease, more than once undressing the Liverpool defence like a cheap date, his passes and imagination sublime on the eye and very nearly decisive.

Elsewhere, Vorm posted another clean sheet, this time significantly away from home, and the Swans held on during a shaky final ten minutes, the lessons learned from Molineux serving to preserve the precious point. Joe Allen strengthened his bid as Swansea's most wanted man, a position he seems to be contesting with Scott Sinclair as we approach the January transfer window.

All told, it was a masterclass performance from the Swans, a fact borne out by the edited highlights on Match Of The Day; for large parts, all one-way Jack traffic. If the Bolton game gave the Swans confidence for the test at Anfield, then their well-earned draw ought in turn to have given the Swans the confidence they'll need to hold the fort versus Manchester United next week.

Being since it's an international break week and about a month since my last stats breakdown of the Swans, I think it's time for another one, which I'll be posting in the next few days. As with last time, there'll be at least one new "award" this time, too.

Positives : Getting a point away from home. Getting a clean sheet away from home. Getting both at Anfield. Wayne Routledge's wing wizardry.

Negatives : Hmm. Let's say... the fairly long journey home for the Swans fans (who once again proved they are the best in the league, eventually winning the chanting battle despite being massively outnumbered.). Oh, and Mark Gower's miss. Poor Mark Gower. It happens to all of us, just not in quite the same circumstances...