Demolition derby
Cardiff boss furious after his feeble side fall to super Swans
NORMAL service was resumed in the South Wales derby as Liam Cullen and Jamal Lowe scored the goals that barely reflected the total dominance of Swansea City over their rivals.
Despite arriving on the back of a four-match winning streak that had prompted hopes for a late promotion surge, Cardiff were second-best in every aspect.
They even had the extra incentive of a first-ever league double over their bitter rivals, having won 2-0 in the Welsh capital in September.
But as in so many recent meetings, they were out-fought, outthought and showed little composure in the heated moments of a reliably fiery contest.
Cardiff manager Erol Bulut accused his players of failing to compete, saying: ‘We were hiding too much in the midfield. If you are hiding then you can’t go out from the pressing.
‘It’s disappointing we couldn’t do the double. This would have been great for the team and the club. But you cannot get everything.’
The Swans have now won five of their last six matches against the Bluebirds and eight out of the last 11 clashes.
Swansea could even afford to miss a second-half penalty through Cullen, before Lowe scored deep into stoppage time to give the scoreline a more reflective appearance after Cullen’s 34th-minute volley.
Harry Darling also headed against the bar in an utterly onesided first-half and Cardiff were fortunate not to have striker
Yakou Meite sent off for pressing his forehead into the face of Darling.
The victory should ease any lingering concerns over being dragged into a relegation scrap for head coach Luke Williams, but he was more focused on the short-term task of restoring local pride.
‘We won in a really positive way and I can’t argue with the way we went about it today,’ he said.
‘I think the combination of intensity and aggression combined with calmness and clarity is something we’re all striving for. We were very dominant for the majority of the game, and the big chances in the game, we created all of them.’
Bulut sent on Wales captain Aaron Ramsey for his first game for a month after injury, but it made little difference.
They created one worthwhile chance in the whole game when substitute Rubin Colwill blasted over but an equaliser would have been undeserved. Bulut accused Darling of diving and dismissed suggestions Meite should have seen red for his head thrust.
‘I think it was an artistic movement from the Swansea player,’ he said. ‘I would jump into my pool like this.
‘I think the first goal was a foul on Perry Ng in my opinion. The referee had a different opinion. When he gave the penalty, for Ng pulling, it was the same situation.’