Tammy Abraham has been hailed as a striker with a nose for goals by Swansea City manager Paul Clement after clearing some of the stale odour that was afflicting the Liberty Stadium.

The on-loan striker, who has a sense for poachers’ goals, scored either side of half-time in a 2-0 victory for the Swans at home to Huddersfield on Saturday – a fixture that already had the whiff of a relegation battle.

Three home defeats at the Liberty Stadium – against Manchester United, Newcastle and Watford – had given Clement the nasty scent of supporter impatience in his nostrils, but Abraham ensured everything turned out smelling of roses.

The England U21 striker pounced on a howler by Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lossl just before the break and then swept home a second goal from less than a yard out three minutes after the re-start.

The goals blew away some of the anxiety that had started to build for Clement and his side, but means his opposite number David Wagner could soon be inhaling toxic fears himself.

Clement said: “We know what Tammy can do. He’s got a good smell for where to be when the ball is up and around the penalty area.

“I was pleased with his overall game. It was his best overall performance where he improved with his back to goal, he ran in behind a lot more, he was quick, and he helped the team defensively. That was good and really helped the team along.”

Abraham, 20, has found his feet in the Premier League just at the time the Swans need him most.

With Wilfried Bony yet to rediscover the form or fitness of his first spell with the club, the Chelsea loanee’s four Premier League goals already look priceless and this brace lifted the club out of the relegation zone.

But Clement was at pains to stress that Abraham is a hired gun and the expectation is that he should be capable of pulling the trigger.

“It is Tammy’s job. He is hired as a player for Swansea to do the kind of things he did today and when you lose a player like Wilfried or Renato Sanches, you are disappointed.

“I feel good about what the team did. It was important game based on how we’ve been playing at home, how we’ve been attacking.

“From first whistle we were positive about our approach, with the pressurising high up the field. We had a good idea that Huddersfield would continue with their normal style of playing out of the back so we practised situations of how we could win the ball high up the pitch.

“I was also pelased with our attacking intent from the word go, getting the ball into space behind the defence, willing runners, attacking space. Obviously, the goal before half-time was a mistake, but I’d argue we practised that situation, we persevered with pressing high and forced the error, there was a good ball to find Tammy.

“We got the second goal and we got the platform to go forward, so I’m, pleased with lots of things.

“It’s another clean sheet, four out of eight now, but we also managed to find the attacking impetus haven’t had in previous games. Maybe the shape change helped that to a degree, but I think the mentality to work hard for each other, lots of energy on the field, helped that.

“I decided to change the system immediately after West Ham. When you do that as a coach, especially after an international break, we had some time, so we had eight training days to work on some principles, a lot of that offensive work, and it paid off today.

“I still think we’ve got the ability to switch systems. But I was pleased with what I saw, not only defensively because the other systems have showed they can be very hard to break down, but pleased managed to get the balance between keeping a clean sheet but also very good going forward.”

Abraham aside, Swansea were a notch above their recent displays and it is Huddersfield, now without a win in six League games and steadily dropping down the table, who appear the more vulnerable.

They had their moments when it was still goalless, but the error by Lossl when he chose to pass instead of hoof – and sent the ball straight to Tom Carroll – was of less concern to their manager David Wagner than their lack of belief.

He said: “The mistake had a big influence on the game. Goals always have a big influence.

“It was a mistake, but it was so obvious that we don’t even need to speak about it. Yes, we like to play out from the back in possession, but he didn’t make the right decision and we conceded a goal.

“That’s not the problem for me. My problem was in the first half when we didn’t show how good we can be in ball possession. We were not brave enough in that first half.

“In the second-half, we were braver and we also hit the bar. We had a penalty decision turned down that was 50-50 and a few other unlucky situations.”

Abraham struck when Carroll coolly squared the ball after Lossl’s mistake before the break and scored a second after an incisive run by Luciano Narsingh.

He might even have finished with a hat-trick is some of Swansea’s crossing had been more accurate.