Swansea City began their Carabao Cup campaign with a solid 3-1 victory over League Two side Crawley Town at the Swansea.com Stadium, a result that, while a bit nervy at times, ultimately saw the Swans comfortably through to the second round.
From the first whistle, it was clear the Swans were looking to make a statement, and they did so almost immediately. Just four minutes into the contest, a fantastic low ball from Josh Tymon found the Brazilian winger Ronald, who showed great composure to slot home from close range. It was the perfect start, and for a while, it looked like it might be the start of a rout. The home side continued to press, with new signing Zeidane Inoussa looking lively and Zan Vipotnik coming close to a second. Crawley’s goalkeeper, Harvey Davies, had a very busy first half and was forced into a number of key saves, keeping the scoreline respectable. The Swans thought they had a second before the break when Ethan Galbraith lashed home from a corner, but it was ruled out for offside.
The second half began with the same sense of frustration for the Swans, as opportunities came and went. However, the introduction of summer signing Bobby Wales in the 64th minute changed the dynamic entirely. The young Scottish striker, who joined from Kilmarnock, made an instant impact. Just three minutes after coming on, Wales capitalized on a loose ball in the box, calmly rolling it into the net for his first goal in a Swansea shirt. It was a well-taken finish and a moment that will surely give him a huge confidence boost.
With a 2-0 lead, the game seemed to be heading for a routine finish, but Crawley had other ideas. Kabongo Tshimanga pulled one back for the visitors in the 75th minute, making for a tense final quarter of an hour. The nerves, however, were soon settled. A rash tackle from Crawley substitute Gavan Holohan on Gonçalo Franco saw the Crawley player shown a straight red card, restoring Swansea’s advantage on the pitch.
In the final moments of the game, the Swans sealed the deal. Deep into stoppage time, Ethan Galbraith found himself with space on the edge of the box, and he made no mistake this time, smashing a superb finish into the back of the net to make it 3-1. It was a deserved win for the Swans, who, despite some missed chances, showed a lot of attacking intent and got the job done. The debuts for Bobby Wales and Zeidane Inoussa, in particular, were very encouraging.
Man of the Match: Ethan Galbraith. The goal just capped an excellent performance
