Andre Ayew scores 14th Swansea goal in Blackburn draw

Swansea City moved level on points with the automatic promotion places as Andre Ayew’s fourth penalty in four games secured a hard-earned point at Blackburn.

Victory would have moved the Swans into the top two, but they fell behind when Bradley Dack’s low strike opened the scoring at Ewood Park.

But the visitors quickly leveled thanks to Ayew’s 14th goal of the season, as he once again kept his nerve from the penalty spot.

The point moves Swansea onto 66 points; level with second-placed Watford with a game in hand.

Steve Cooper had made two changes from the win over Middlesbrough, with Jamal Lowe and Jake Bidwell coming into the side as Korey Smith and Ryan Manning dropped to the bench.

It proved an eventful start, with Blackburn seeing penalty appeals waved away after Marc Guehi had tussled with Dack for the ball in the area.

And Ayew forced Thomas Kaminski into a sharp save from a Bidwell cross, although the offside flag ensured it would not have counted had it found the net.

Dack then failed to get on the end of an excellent cross from Ben Brereton, before Swansea was denied a fourth penalty in four games as referee Robert Jones answered in the negative when Ayew’s header struck the hand of Rovers captain Darragh Lenihan.

But it was the home side who took the lead eight minutes before the interval as Dack fired the ball low past Woodman after John Buckley was given too much time to slide a ball into the Swansea area.

However, they were handed the chance to level when Jay Fulton was fouled by Sam Gallagher in the area just four minutes later.

Ayew stepped up and – as had been the case against Bristol City, Stoke, and Middlesbrough – found the net, as Kaminski could not get a firm enough hand to his strike down the middle.

The visitors made a change at the break as Joel Latibeaudiere came on for Guhei, and they had a let-off within three minutes of the restart.

Woodman hesitated when coming out as Brereton raced onto a ball forward down the right, but the Blackburn man could only send the ball wide after lofting it over the stranded Swansea keeper.

At the other end, Conor Hourihane bent a free-kick over the bar, while Dack then just failed to get on the end of a low ball into the area for the hosts.

Cooper made a double change with 25 minutes to go, sending on Smith and Yan Dhanda for Hourihane and Fulton.

But Blackburn had the next chance, with Dack wastefully dragging wide as the flag stayed down even as he appeared to be in an offside position.

Kaminski punched away an excellent in-swinging corner from Matt Grimes as the game entered the final five minutes, while Dhanda curled the final effort of the game over the bar from the edge of the area.