Swansea City extended their unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions with a composed 2–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Second-half goals from Žan Vipotnik and Ronald Pereira Martins sealed the points, but the platform was laid through tactical discipline, midfield control, and a defensive unit that barely gave the hosts a sniff.
Alan Sheehan’s side absorbed Wednesday’s early aggression and grew into the game with confidence. With Gonçalo Franco and Marko Stamenic anchoring midfield, and Ethan Galbraith pulling strings between the lines, Swansea gradually took control. The result lifts the Swans into the top half of the Championship table and continues a quietly impressive start under Sheehan’s leadership.
⏱️ First Half: Slow Start, Growing Control
Sheffield Wednesday opened with energy and aggression, pressing high and unsettling Swansea’s rhythm. Jamal Lowe had the first real chance, heading wide from a Charlie McNeill cross after finding space 10 yards out. The crowd responded, and for the first 15 minutes, Swansea struggled to connect.
But once Sheehan’s side settled, they began to stitch together fluent passages of play. Zeidane Inoussa broke into space and teed up Ethan Galbraith, who skewed his shot wide. Moments later, Žan Vipotnik diverted a low cross into the keeper’s arms. A deflected Josh Key strike nearly found Inoussa, but Ethan Horvath gathered.
Swansea’s best move came 10 minutes before the break—a sweeping transition from deep that ended with Inoussa unable to get a shot away. Barry Bannan tested Lawrence Vigouroux with a tame effort from distance, but the Swans were now in control.
The final chance of the half fell to Gonçalo Franco, who received a pass from Inoussa, dummied past a defender, and fired wide. Goalless at the break, but Swansea had taken hold of the game.
⚽ Second Half: Vipotnik Breaks Through, Ronald Seals It
The breakthrough arrived five minutes after the restart. Galbraith surged forward from midfield and found Inoussa, who slipped in Vipotnik. The Slovenian striker lashed a left-footed strike past Horvath at the near post—his third goal in a week.
Franco volleyed over soon after, and Vipotnik had a header blocked at a corner. Cameron Burgess powered a header just over from another set-piece, and Horvath was forced into a fingertip save when Vipotnik unleashed a firm drive from the edge of the box.
Chances kept coming. Horvath denied Ronald Pereira Martins after a clever ball from Ben Cabango, and Swansea hearts were briefly in mouths when Dominic Iorfa scooped an effort over the bar after skipping into the area.
But the Swans sealed it in the 81st minute. Vipotnik slipped the ball into Ronald, who turned and lofted a composed finish beyond Horvath’s reach. Game over. A fifth unbeaten match in all competitions, and a performance built on structure, patience, and execution.
🔢 Player Ratings – Swansea City
- Vigouroux – 7
- Key – 7
- Cabango – 7
- Burgess – 7
- Tymon – 7
- Stamenic – 7
- Franco – 8
- Galbraith – 8
- Inoussa – 7
- Pereira Martins – 8
- Vipotnik – 8
- Cotterill – 6
- Parker – 6
- Lissah – 6
🏅 Man of the Match: Žan Vipotnik
Opened the scoring with a ruthless finish, assisted the second, and was a constant threat. Intelligent movement, sharp execution, and a complete centre-forward display.
🗣️ Manager Quotes
Alan Sheehan (Swansea City):
“We were brave in possession and ruthless in key moments. The lads stuck to the plan and showed real maturity. It’s a performance we can build on.”
Henrik Pedersen (Sheffield Wednesday):
“We didn’t compete well enough. Swansea were sharper and more organised. We need to regroup and respond quickly.”
📋 Line-Ups
Swansea City
Vigouroux, Key, Cabango, Burgess, Tymon, Stamenic, Galbraith, Franco, Pereira Martins, Inoussa, Vipotnik
Subs used: Cotterill, Parker, Lissah
Unused: Fisher, Widell, Yalcouyé, Eom, Cullen, Wales, Casey, Cooper
Sheffield Wednesday
Horvath, Palmer, Lowe, Iorfa, Valery, Ingelsson, Jamal Lowe, Bannan, McNeill, Cadamarteri, Kobacki
Subs used: Stretch, Fusire, Otegbayo, Siqueira, Johnson, Brown, Weaver, Thornton, Ugbo
🧠 Supporter’s Summary: A Win That Feels Like Progress
You could feel it in the away end before kick-off—quiet confidence, not bravado. This wasn’t a side coming to Hillsborough to survive. It was a side coming to impose. And for long stretches, that’s exactly what Swansea did.
It wasn’t perfect. The first half was cagey, and there were moments where the final ball lacked bite. But the structure was there. The midfield had balance. The back line didn’t panic. And when the chances came, Vipotnik and Ronald took them like players who know their roles and trust the system.
There’s something building here. Not hype, not swagger—just a team that’s starting to look like it knows what it wants to be. Five unbeaten. Two clean sheets in a row. And a manager who doesn’t need to shout to be heard.
Now comes the international break. Two weeks to breathe, reset, and sharpen. No game until the trip to Coventry. But for once, the pause feels earned. The work’s been done. The points are banked. And the Swans go into September with momentum, identity, and a squad that’s quietly starting to believe.
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