Swansea City boss Brendan Rodgers was proud of his players for coping with the loss of Gary Speed after their draw with Aston Villa.

Given the overwhelming sense of sadness it was perhaps no surprise that the match was a subdued affair, but Rodgers praised the efforts of his Wales trio and paid a glowing tribute to Speed.

He said: "I spoke to the lads before the game and I pulled them in again afterwards. It was hard for them, of course, to lose someone like that.

"They've had a fantastic spell with Gary. He's done an incredible job. He and I spoke quite a lot. The style he was looking to bring in was a big part with our players playing in it.

"I thought the players' performance level considering that was unbelievable.

"Ashley Williams was incredible, immense. It was difficult with little Joe (Allen) because he's a real thinker, he did great but I could see before the game it affected him.

"All three are strong characters. How the three of them performed like they did was incredible. It was a sombre day and it was hard to take in."