Cullen's late winner lifts Swansea past Portsmouth in a tense relegation tussle
Substitute Liam Cullen struck a superb late winner as Swansea City edged Portsmouth 1-0 in a nervy Championship contest that carried far more weight than its early-season billing. The Welsh forward swept home from around 20 yards in the 78th minute to decide a game short on clear chances but heavy with tension between two sides locked in a relegation battle.
Vitor Matos' side, buoyed by a weekend victory over Oxford United that ended a five-game losing run, found another way to win as their bench tilted the balance against a Portsmouth team that had largely kept them at arm's length. The result gave Swansea back-to-back league wins for the first time since April, moved them up to 18th and six points clear of the bottom three, and ended a barren league run against Pompey that stretched back to 1960. For John Mousinho's visitors, a fourth defeat in five and only one win in ten left them rooted in 22nd place, two points adrift of safety.
Relegation stakes and a cagey opening shape the contest