Liam Cullen rescues late point for Swansea at Coventry

Posted Saturday, December 30, 2023 by PA

Liam Cullen’s stoppage-time free-kick earned managerless Swansea a 2-2 draw at Coventry.

The Swans had earlier been ahead through Liam Walsh’s first goal in almost four years, before Haji Wright and Ellis Simms put Coventry 2-1 in front.

Swansea had been thrashed 5-0 by former head coach Russell Martin and Southampton on Boxing Day, but Cullen fired in a last-gasp set-piece to give his side a hard-fought point.

Former Coventry loanee Walsh put Swansea ahead in the seventh minute after he latched onto a poor touch from Jamie Allen and picked out the bottom corner, his first strike since scoring for the Sky Blues in January 2020.

It was just the ninth goal that Coventry had conceded at home this season.

They were ahead for just three minutes before Wright was played in by former Swansea loanee Kasey Palmer.

The American was confronted by Bashir Humphreys, but shifted the ball onto his left foot before arrowing his effort into the far corner beyond Carl Rushworth.

Palmer’s powerful effort was then tipped over by Rushworth in the Swansea goal before his free-kick cleared the crossbar.

Swansea had been without a permanent boss since December 4 and interim head coach Alan Sheehan handed a senior debut to 17-year-old Sam Palmer, who almost teed up Yannick Bolasie to put the Swans ahead but he could only lift over the bar with his outstretched right foot from close range.

Walsh also came close to putting Swansea ahead when he forced Brad Collins to palm away his free-kick.

Japan international Tatsuhiro Sakamoto scored a brace in Coventry’s 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day and saw his effort blocked on the line following a clever corner routine as Coventry looked to get their noses in front.

Simms had been introduced as a substitute and scored his first goal at home for Coventry to put the hosts ahead with 25 minutes remaining.

Callum O’Hare picked out Wright at the back post and his looping header looked goalbound before Simms poked in to net his first goal since September when the former Everton striker netted a brace against QPR at Loftus Road.

Cullen had also been introduced from the bench and stepped up in the third minute of added time to whip his free-kick into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, extending Swansea’s unbeaten run against the Sky Blues to 17 matches, dating back to 1981.