City Flashback | Steven Caulker nets in famous derby win
Saturday sees the 116th instalment of the South Wales derby, and we take a look back in the archive and relive a famous Bluebirds win.
2013 certainly doesn’t seem like a lifetime ago, but it represented an important milestone in the history of the derby, as it would be the first played in the Premier League.
For the Bluebirds, they had recorded a famous win against Manchester City in their opening home game but hadn’t won in the league since beating Fulham away from home, a whole month before the derby.
27,463 crazed fans packed into the home of Welsh football to see this monumental occasion unfold in front of their eyes, with an even bigger global audience intrigued at seeing two Welsh teams slug it out in the English top tier.
While much of the buildup was filled with excitement and hope, the first half felt a little flat in comparison. As expected, Michael Laudrup’s side controlled possession and tried to look for openings, but a staunch Bluebirds defence stood firm and positioned themselves expertly to stop the Swans from breaking through. Spanish forward Michu had their best chance of the half, but he fired Jonjo Shelvey’s cross over the bar.
As far as our boys were concerned, they grew into the game as the first half progressed. Craig Bellamy’s effort from range looked promising, only for Leon Britton’s deflection to take the ball wide of the mark. Heading into the break, while Swansea did see more of the ball, City were progressing well.
As the second half got underway, there was a sense that something special could happen for the Bluebirds. Swansea had a lot of the ball but couldn’t put opportunities away, and my word, would they rue their missed chances. As the clock ticked over the hour mark, Bellamy swung in a corner onto the head of Steven Caulker.
The one-time England international and former Swan rose high above Chico Flores to fire his header into the back of the net. A cacophony of noise engulfed the bowl of CCS. A magical moment in such an important fixture.
Now a goal down, the visitors needed a response, and their Danish manager sprang into action by bringing on the likes of Wilfried Bony. The Ivorian forward was a goal machine, but not even he could get through a Bluebirds defence marshalled by Caulker and Ben Turner. When they did filter through, Scotland’s number one David Marshall kept everything out. Jonathan de Guzman and Alejandro Pozuelo both went close, but Marshall showed great athleticism and skill to keep City ahead.
As the minutes ticked down, you could hear the heart of every Bluebird pound, as the biggest win in the history of the South Wales derby edged ever closer. Into stoppage time we went, and City broke down the field and a second goal was a real possibility, only for Swansea keeper Michel Vorm to execute a cynical foul on Fraizer Campbell. The referee had no option but to send him off the field, meaning right-back Angel Rangel went in goal for the travelling Swans.
Now with the ball at the right end of the field, City won corner after corner and barricaded Swansea in their own half. Mike Dean blew the final whistle, and it was over, the first ever Premier League game ended in glorious victory for the Bluebirds.
Who will be the hero when these two meet on Saturday?
