Swansea City came back from an early blow to record a big 2-1 win away at Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. With this dramatic late winner they took all three points! The game played out on a cool fall night, reflecting the fierceness of both teams. Swansea took their chance and wrested the initiative back in their favor. Swansea certainly deserved their victory and in the process, put Blackburn’s home losses to four straight matches. They displayed tremendous resolve, coming back from a two-goal deficit as they did in the first leg.
Blackburn had the advantage early on, with Todd Cantwell giving the visitors the lead within 20 minutes. Swansea was inspired to a furious comeback when Goncalo Franco equalized, and then Liam Cullen scored the winning goal in the 67th minute. This win was a significant point in the right direction for Swansea and new head coach Alan Sheehan.
Early Pressure from Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers started the game at a high tempo, taking an early control of the game. On the other side, Todd Cantwell found the net to open the scoring after just 5 hours, sending Blackburn in front. His strike brought delight to the home crowd who were hungry for a win after a string of brutal showings.
Ryan Alebiosu was the most impressive on this front, regularly getting in behind, creating delicious cutback opportunities and otherwise threatening the Swansea back line. Swansea’s keeper Ethan Galbraith was up to the task, making a few big saves to keep his side in contention of finding an equalizer.
Though Blackburn had all the momentum to start, Swansea eventually started to settle in. Second, they took the heat but did so with great grace. Their tenacity would be rewarded with Goncalo Franco finding the back of the net moments before halftime to tie the match 1-1.
A Turning Point for Swansea
The second half started much as the first ended, with neither side willing to concede control of the match. Swansea came out with even more vim & vigor, and it was clear that they wanted to win this match. Adam Idah, who came on as a substitute, played a crucial role in Swansea’s success by assisting Liam Cullen’s winning goal.
Cullen’s strike in the 67th minute unleashed pandemonium on the Swans’ bench and jubilation from their supporters. They had made the long trip to Ewood Park expecting to see their team secure a much-needed away win. This late goal was emblematic of Swansea’s knack for finding decisive moments and turning matches to their advantage.
Swansea’s manager, Alan Sheehan, said it was mental strength that got them through to secure this win.
“Tonight was all about mentality, we’ve played a lot better in other games and not got wins.” – Alan Sheehan
Struggles for Blackburn
After Cullen’s score, Blackburn was playing from behind and needed to respond to retake the day’s lead. And they should’ve made their chances count, coming close with a looping header from Yuki Ohashi that Swansea’s Lawrence Vigouroux palmed away. Even with these opportunities, the team was unable to get into a groove. Oslo raised the tempo further still and once again Sondre Tronstad missed a glaring opportunity, rushing his shot with time and space at his disposal.
The heat continued to be placed on Blackburn as they looked to end their terrible run of seven consecutive home defeats at Ewood Park. Valerien Ismael, Blackburn’s manager, expressed frustration over the match’s outcome and the broader implications for his team’s performance.
“It’s a terrible decision. A manager (could be) losing his job because you’re not picking up points. If someone gave a bad decision and you’re losing your job because someone is not doing their job? It’s a terrible feeling.” – Valerien Ismael
Blackburn made valiant effort with some flashy performances like a pair of massive saves from Balazs Toth and Lawrence Vigouroux. They just couldn’t succeed to leg back into the game.
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