Match report

Swansea Defeats Portsmouth 1-0 in Championship Clash

Swansea
Swansea
1–0
FT
Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Dec 9, 2025

Swansea held off Portsmouth to secure a crucial win in the Championship. Liam Cullen scored the only goal of the game in the 78th minute, providing the difference. Despite early yellow cards for both teams and numerous substitutions, Swansea's resilience paid off as they secured all three points.

Key Facts

  • • Liam Cullen scored the winning goal for Swansea at 78'
  • • Swansea received two yellow cards; B. Cabango (13') and Gonçalo Franco (45+1'), both for fouls.
  • • Portsmouth saw three players cautioned: John Swift (61'), J. Williams (66'), and M. Pack (90+3').
  • • Swansea made multiple substitutions with Liam Cullen coming on in the 72nd minute, setting up the winning goal.

Lineups

Swansea

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 22 L. Vigouroux (G)
  • 30 E. Galbraith (D)
  • 5 B. Cabango (D)
  • 15 C. Burgess (D)
  • 14 J. Tymon (D)
  • 17 G. Franco (M)
  • 6 M. Stamenic (M)
  • 35 Ronald (M)
  • 7 M. Widell (M)
  • 10 J. Eom (M)
  • 33 A. Idah (F)

Substitutes

  • 1 A. Fisher
  • 2 J. Key
  • 4 J. Fulton
  • 8 M. Yalcouye
  • 9 Z. Vipotnik
  • 16 I. Samuels-Smith
  • 20 L. Cullen
  • 26 K. Casey
  • 27 Z. Inoussa

Portsmouth

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 1 N. Schmid (G)
  • 24 T. Devlin (D)
  • 14 H. Matthews (D)
  • 17 I. Bowat (D)
  • 22 Z. Swanson (D)
  • 7 M. Pack (M)
  • 8 J. Swift (M)
  • 47 Yang Min-Hyuk (M)
  • 36 C. Chaplin (M)
  • 23 J. Murphy (M)
  • 49 C. Lang (F)

Substitutes

  • 26 J. Bursik
  • 2 J. Williams
  • 44 A. Sizer
  • 16 L. Le Roux
  • 18 M. Kosznovszky
  • 29 H. Blair
  • 10 A. Segecic
  • 9 C. Bishop
  • 25 M. Kirk

Timeline

  1. Swansea
    13' Swansea Card · Yellow Card
    B. Cabango

    Foul

  2. Swansea
    45'+1 Swansea Card · Yellow Card
    Gonçalo Franco

    Argument

  3. Portsmouth
    50' Portsmouth subst · Substitution 1
    Off: Z. Swanson · On: J. Williams
  4. Swansea
    56' Swansea subst · Substitution 1
    Off: A. Idah · On: Z. Vipotnik
  5. Swansea
    57' Swansea subst · Substitution 2
    Off: M. Widell · On: Liam Cullen
  6. Portsmouth
    61' Portsmouth Card · Yellow Card
    John Swift

    Foul

  7. Portsmouth
    66' Portsmouth Card · Yellow Card
    J. Williams

    Foul

  8. Portsmouth
    70' Portsmouth subst · Substitution 2
    Off: Yang Min-Hyuk · On: H. Blair
  9. Portsmouth
    70' Portsmouth subst · Substitution 3
    Off: C. Chaplin · On: A. Segecic
  10. Portsmouth
    71' Portsmouth subst · Substitution 4
    Off: C. Lang · On: C. Bishop
  11. Swansea
    72' Swansea subst · Substitution 3
    Off: Gonçalo Franco · On: M. Yalcouye
  12. Swansea
    72' Swansea subst · Substitution 4
    Off: J. Eom · On: Z. Inoussa
  13. Swansea
    78' Swansea Goal · Normal Goal
    Liam Cullen · Assist: M. Yalcouye
  14. Portsmouth
    87' Portsmouth subst · Substitution 5
    Off: H. Matthews · On: M. Kirk
  15. Portsmouth
    90'+3 Portsmouth Card · Yellow Card
    M. Pack

    Foul

  16. Swansea
    90' Swansea subst · Substitution 5
    Off: Ethan Galbraith · On: K. Casey

Match Stats

Stat Swansea Portsmouth
Fouls 6 9
Pass Accuracy 76% 72%
Offsides 1 0
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 15 10
Corners 5 6
Total Passes 377 368
Yellow Cards 2 3
Blocked Shots 4 2
Shots on Target 6 3
xG 0.82 0.80
Shots off Target 5 5
Possession 50% 50%
Goals Prevented 0 0
Accurate Passes 287 265
Shots Inside Box 8 6
Saves 3 5
Shots Outside Box 7 4

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ The match turned in Swansea's favor when M. Yalcouye replaced Gonçalo Franco (72'), leading to the game-changing assist for Liam Cullen’s goal.
  • ▸ Portsmouth struggled to recover after conceding a goal, with frequent substitutions failing to change their momentum.