Swansea stage stunning fightback as Liam Cullen earns draw at Coventry

Posted Sunday, December 18, 2022 by PA

Substitute Liam Cullen completed a remarkable comeback as Swansea came from three goals down to steal a 3-3 draw against Coventry at the CBS Arena.

Jonathan Panzo, Jamie Allen and Viktor Gyokeres put the Sky Blues in the driving seat before Joel Piroe and Jay Fulton reduced the deficit.

Cullen had only been on the pitch a matter of seconds when he poked in from close range to complete the turnaround for Swansea, who came into the match without a win in six.

The disappointment marked Coventry’s first home match since they were issued an eviction notice by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group before agreeing a new deal to play at the CBS Arena on Monday.

Nottingham Forest loanee Panzo rose highest from Gustavo Hamer’s corner after 29 minutes to head home his first goal in English football.

It was more than deserved for Mark Robins’ men, who saw top scorer Gyokeres miss a one-on-one with Swans stopper Sven Benda after he was put through by Callum O’Hare.

O’Hare himself had missed a glorious chance to open the scoring when he found himself free in the box but volleyed Allen’s cross wide of the left-hand post.

Swansea enjoyed 72 per cent of possession in the opening 45 minutes but barely threatened as Piroe’s free-kick was comfortably gathered by Sky Blues goalkeeper Ben Wilson.

Despite the words of manager Russell Martin ringing in the Swansea players’ ears as they returned to the field, it took less than two minutes for Coventry to double their lead.

Gyokeres was the architect, teeing up Allen to curl his left-footed effort out of the reach of Benda for his fourth goal of the season.

Gyokeres then put Coventry three goals to the good after 54 minutes, making no mistake when he was put through by O’Hare’s pass despite a nervy wait as the ball trickled into the opposite corner after striking the post.

Swansea had not shown any signs of launching an unlikely comeback, but last season’s top scorer Piroe started the turnaround after 68 minutes when he turned in Ryan Manning’s cross from the left.

Martin had introduced both Oliver Cooper and Armstrong Oxo-Flex in an attempt to salvage something from the match and it was the latter who forced Wilson into a smart save before Fulton fired home the rebound.

And just 16 minutes after Piroe’s tap-in, the comeback was complete.

Cullen, thrown on just a matter of seconds before, was in the right place at the right time to turn in after Piroe’s header had come back off the post, stunning the CBS Arena crowd.