Swansea City experienced a gut-wrenching defeat at Turf Moor as Jay Rodriguez’s stoppage-time penalty secured a 1-0 win for Burnley. The Swans had battled valiantly and seemed poised to build on their recent wins against Oxford and Watford by claiming a hard-earned point against a team heavily tipped for promotion following their relegation from the Premier League.
Referee David Webb awarded the decisive penalty after ruling that Matt Grimes had handled the ball while contesting a high delivery in the box. Rodriguez stepped up and calmly converted from the spot, sealing victory for the hosts and leaving the visitors heartbroken.
The result was particularly harsh on Swansea, who had shown they were more than capable of matching their former Premier League opponents. Liam Cullen came closest to scoring for the Swans, with his header dramatically cleared off the line. Meanwhile, Joe Allen and Florian Bianchini both had promising opportunities that they could not capitalise on.
Goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, facing his former club, delivered a strong performance with a series of key saves to keep Swansea in the game. Defensively, the duo of Ben Cabango and Harry Darling were again impressive, showcasing commitment and composure as the visitors stood firm for much of the match.
Despite the painful ending, head coach Luke Williams could draw positives from the display, with Swansea proving they could contend with one of the Championship’s strongest sides. The team had made two changes from their midweek victory over Watford, with Joe Allen and Josh Tymon—returning from suspension—replacing Cullen and Kyle Naughton.
Speaking after the match, Luke Williams said: “It was a tough way to lose” adding “I thought we probably deserved a draw, so to lose all the points so late on is difficult”.
Due to the international break, the Swans return to action on Sunday, 24 November, when Leeds United are the visitors to the Swansea.com stadium (3pm).
Team Lineups
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Josh Key, Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Josh Tymon; Matt Grimes (captain), Gonçalo Franco, Joe Allen (Liam Cullen 62); Ronald (Cyrus Christie 85), Myles Peart-Harris (Kyle Naughton 77), Žan Vipotnik (Florian Bianchni 62).
Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Kristian Pedersen, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Nelson Abbey, Azeem Abdulai.
Burnley: James Trafford, Maxime Esteve, CJ Egan-Riley, Jeremy Sarmiento (Hannibal 77), Josh Brownhill (captain), Jaidon Anthony, Connor Roberts, Zian Flemming (Jay Rodriguez 77), Lucas Pires (Bashir Humphreys 67) , Josh Cullen (Josh Laurent 77), Luca Koleosho (Enock Agyei 67).
Unchanged Substitutes: Vaclav Hladky, John Egan, Andreas Hountondji, Owen Dodgson.
Referee: David Webb
Attendance: 18,717.
Match Highlights
Watch extended highlights of the Swans last-gasp defeat at Turf Moor.
Feature Image Credit: Swansea City Football Club