Cardiff City have made it five losses from six in the South Wales Derby as Swansea cost past them in a day to forget for The Bluebirds.
A brilliant block from Nat Phillips denied Matt Grimes' outside of the bix effort after just a minute. Cullen then hit two efforts wide for The Swans.
Harry Darling struck the woodwork after sixteen minutes after he was found unmarked in the box. Darling was then unsuccesful in his attempt to get Yakou Meite sent off, following an overreaction as both players came head-to-head.
Cardiff sprung into life after twenty-five minutes as Meite robbed Darling high up the pitch, however couldn't make the most of it with David Turnbull unmarked in the box.
Swansea took the lead not long later through Liam Cullen. The Welsh forward found himself unmarked in the Cardiff box and made no mistake.
Cullen had a chance to double his and the hosts' tally from the penalty spot, however Cullen fired wide.
Swansea sealed it in the dying seconds as Jamal Lowe rounded Ethan Horvath and was composed to secure all three points, and South Wales Derby bragging rights.
Player Ratings:
Ethan Horvath (5) - Not sure how much he can do for either goal. Distribution was awful. Commentators pointed it out, and I agree he looked nervous.
Perry Ng (4) - An afternoon to forget for Ng. Could argue he was fouled for the first, however that doesn't excuse Ng being torn a new one by The Swans' wingers. Gave away the penalty, and all-round really struggled.
Nat Phillips (6) - Defensively he was decent, and if it wasn't for him it could've been a lot more. On the ball, incredibly frustrating. Attempted seventeen long balls, he completed four. Phillips would go long and the ball came straight back at him each time.
Dimitrios Goutas (5) - Can't say I noticed a great deal of Dimi. Wasn't bad but wasn't good either. Some decent blocks here and there, but a quiet afternoon.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand (4) - There were hints previously that JWE struggles defensively, and today confirmed it. Just didn't have a sniff against Placheta or Ronald, backed out of basic duels. Really struggled.
Manolis Siopis (5) - If Cardiff were going to win, it would've been down to Siopis, Sio was quiet so that didn't happen. Similar story to Goutas, didn't notice a great deal of Sio, which considering his style, isn't a good thing.
Ryan Wintle (5) - Just a passive performance. In hindsight, Ralls should've started but it would've been harsh after last week. Going forward he was ok, got in some decent areas. Defensively, anonymous.
David Turnbull (5.5) - Failed to get any real grip of the game. Some decent bits when Cardiff were under pressure. Could've had a great chance had Meite squared it to him.
Josh Bowler (4) - Generally a negative performance. Looked backwards before forward and was beaten far too easily. Never gained any momentum and looked unbothered.
Karlan Grant (5) - Failed to really get involved unfortunately. Tried hard but nothing came off and wasn't given any real supply.
Yakou Meite (4.5) - Main talking point is whether he should've been sent off, I think that's laughable. Meite didn't help himself. Did one nice piece winning the ball high up the pitch, other than that very quiet.
Subs:
Rubin Colwill (7) MOTM - The only player that comes out of this game with any credibility. Tried hard and to get the team up the pitch. Glided past the Swansea midfield at time. Cardiff need to build around him.
Callum O'Dowda (6) - Didn't really have a great deal to do as most of the play was on the other side of the pitch. When he was involved, he was alright.
Ollie Tanner (5.5) - Did create a good chance when he found Grant in the box. One or two nice runs. Was caught a few times on the ball.
Aaron Ramsey (6) - He tried and did make a difference. Was he the right subsitute for this game? I'm not sure. Got in some good areas just failed to make the most of it.
Famara Diedhiou (N/A) - Wasn't really involved. What he's trying to do for Swansea's second, I have no clue.
Summary:
A sickening and unforgivable performance. Cardiff payed the price for failing to get up for a derby. Too many individuals hiding. Eight games left to prove today was a one off, but a gut retching performance.
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