City History | Bluebirds vs. Swansea City
Ahead of Sunday's trip to the Swansea.com Stadium, we take a look at some notable meetings between Cardiff City and Swansea City...
An important away victory for City
The last time that both sides met was in March 2021, when the Bluebirds made the trip across South Wales towards the then-named Liberty Stadium.
City arrived in Swansea in ninth place in the Sky Bet Championship league table, having experienced a surge in form following Mick McCarthy's appointment as First Team manager two months prior.
Having lost only once in the first 13 matches under McCarthy, that defeat had come one week prior at home against eventual promotion-winners Watford, with the Bluebirds then seeking their first victory in four fixtures.
Beginning the match, it was the hosts who had the first chance of the encounter, as Conor Hourihane's free-kick was driven towards the City goal, with Dillon Phillips getting low enough to halt the effort.
In turn, it was the Bluebirds who managed to take an early lead when Aden Flint headed home before ten minutes were played. Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman made a good save to deny Marlon Pack's close-range shot, only for Flint to power his headed effort over the line on the rebound.
Kieffer Moore came the closest to doubling the lead before the interval, taking advantage of a mistake at the back before striking for goal, with Ryan Bennett able to race back and clear the effort off the goal line.
The second half proved a defensive challenge for the visitors as they looked to protect their one-goal lead. With Swansea City applying more pressure as the match progressed, the Bluebirds continued to stand strong, often putting bodies on the line to block shots and clear the ball away from danger.
With the final whistle blown, City had overcome their opponents to earn their first away South Wales derby victory in ten years.
Having put in a terrific performance out of his usual position and instead at left wingback, Joe Ralls discussed the performance post-match.
"It felt amazing," Joe began. "You could see from the reaction of the players at the end of the game just how much it means to all the boys.
"It was a different challenge and obviously something I'm not used to. We've got a couple of injuries and the manager wanted me to fill in there.
"I was happy to get out there today. Against Swansea, I want to be on the pitch. I was happy to play wherever the manager wanted me. I thought the defenders did really well. As a team we defended really well. We got the goal, and naturally you're going to have to defend late on.
"We had a lead to hang on to and I thought we did that really well and deserved that win in the end."
A first meeting at CCS
Prior to kick-off on April 3rd, 2010, the Bluebirds hadn't defeated Swansea City in a league match in over 13 years, and had not done so at home since 1993.
Having left their historic home ground at Ninian Park at the end of the season prior, City then prepared to host the Swans in their new home at CCS.
With the match underway, it was the visitors who opened the scoring minutes before the half-hour mark in the Welsh capital. Despite David Marshall's best efforts between the sticks, Andrea Orlandi's corner-kick flew in over the goal line, giving Swansea the lead.
However, the Bluebirds would strike back before the interval. Jay Bothroyd's flick on from a lofted cross into the area proved enough for striker Michael Chopra to latch onto, and he struck home from close distance.
Chopra very nearly took the lead for City before the interval, though his chipped effort from close distance nearly rose too high and just over the bar.
Scottish international 'keeper Marshall denied several chances on goal throughout as the visitors raced to regain their lead, with a save against substitute Shefki Kuqi's driven header proving a highlight, with the Scot's outstretched foot keeping the ball out of goal.
Entering injury time, another chance deep in the visitors' area befell Chopra, who didn't squander his golden opportunity.
The striker eluded his marker whilst remaining onside to run onto a headed through ball before unleashing a powerful right footed shot, which flew in at the far post to finally give the hosts the lead.
Seeing out the final few phases of play, the final whistle blew to the cheers of over 20,000 City supporters at the highest-attended South Wales derby in over 50 years.
