Cardiff forward Callum Robinson found redemption at Swansea as his late equaliser secured a 1-1 draw in the South Wales derby.
Robinson was sent off in this fixture in October 2022 for throwing the ball at Swansea’s Ben Cabango, his seventh-minute dismissal paving the way for a 2-0 Cardiff defeat.
But Robinson atoned for that moment of madness by sweeping home fellow substitute Ollie Tanner’s cross 11 minutes from time and cancelling out Liam Cullen’s early effort.
It sparked an extraordinary ending as Tanner was injured in the resulting celebration, seemingly after colliding with an advertising hoarding, and Cardiff manager Erol Bulut was sent off upon tangling with Swansea substitute Kyle Naughton.
Swansea looked as if they would extend their dominance in this fixture – five wins in the last six meetings – after Cullen prodded home after 10 minutes.
Cullen – a scorer when the two clubs last met in March and Swansea won 2-0 – rewarded the hosts’ early superiority in a fixture not played this early in a campaign since 1957.
Cardiff had not savoured derby success in front of a Swansea crowd since February 2011. Their only victory in this corner of South Wales had come in March 2021 when the Covid pandemic ensured there were no fans present.
Cullen had the first attempt after five minutes, a shot on the run that did not trouble Ethan Horvath, but the Wales striker did not have to wait long for his third derby goal.
Neat Swansea build-up play found Brazilian winger Ronald in space and Horvath pushed the ball straight to Cullen for the simplest of finishes.
Cardiff struggled to match Swansea’s early fluency with Matt Grimes controlling matters in midfield.
The Bluebirds’ disjointed look was no surprise given five summer arrivals were among their starters, with centre-back Jesper Daland thrown straight in following his midweek move from Cercle Brugge.
Horvath tipped away Josh Tymon’s menacing cross as Cullen sensed another tap-in, and Ronald should have done better after moving infield to meet Josh Key’s centre.
Cardiff improved in the closing minutes of a first half in which Swansea had enjoyed the lion’s share of possession.
Wilfried Kanga fired over from 16 yards and quickly dollied Cardiff’s first effort on target straight at Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux.
Cardiff were on the back foot at the start of the second half as Ronald twice blazed over and the Brazilian failed to pick out the unmarked Cullen.
Cardiff turned to their bench with Wales international Rubin Colwill and Tanner, a scorer in the Bluebirds’ derby win last September, sent on to provide attacking impetus.
The double substitution worked to perfection as Colwill and Tanner combined and Robinson ended a 14-game scoreless streak to secure Cardiff’s first point of the season.
