I knew Andre Ayew will come to our rescue against Barnsley- Swansea City boss Steve Cooper
Swansea City manager Steve Cooper has hailed Andre Ayew for his impact on the club after coming to their rescue.
Ayew, 31, settled the first-leg tie at the Oakwell Stadium with a brilliant strike in the 38th minute to give the Swans a 1-0 advantage going into the second-leg tie.
The strike marks Ayew’s 17th goal of the season for the Welsh side who honour their home games at the Liberty Stadium.
“I thought we did that. We got a real moment of excellence with Andre’s goal and we managed to continue to be strong defensively.
"We could have shown a bit more quality on the ball at times, but I get it, the fans were back in tonight and there was a good atmosphere.
“It was just a good effort from the boys, it was not a typical Swansea game but you have to respect that and you have to deal with it.
“Andre has then made the difference and we know he can do that, we’ve seen it plenty of times,” he added.
Swansea will host Barnsley in the second-leg tie at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
The winner will clash with the winners of Bournemouth and Brentford in the final if they are able to secure qualification.