Rondon nets treble as West Brom sink sorry Swansea

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 3 SWANSEA CITY 1

Dec 14 ( Reuters) - West Bromwich Albion continued their surge in the top half of the Premier League with a Salomon Rondon hat-trick of headers earning them a 3-1 home win over struggling Swansea City at the Hawthorns on Wednesday.

Venezuela striker Rondon became only the second player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of headers, emulating Duncan Ferguson's achievement when the Scot propelled Everton to a 3-2 win over Bolton Wanderers in December 1997.

After a drab opening period dominated by Swansea, Rondon ran riot in a frantic 13-minute spell midway through the second half as he capitalised on two fine crosses by Chris Brunt following the opening assist from Matt Phillips.

Wayne Routledge scored a 78th-minute consolation for the visitors, rifling in a close-range rebound, but Albion moved three places up to seventh as Swansea, who have conceded 15 goals in their last five away games, remained stuck in the relegation zone in 18th place.

(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic; Editing by Ian Chadband)