Swansea City produced a sensational late turnaround to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 and reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Two goals in added time from Zan Vipotnik and Cameron Burgess capped a frantic finale at the Swansea.com Stadium after Forest had led 2-0 at the break.
From flat first half to furious finish
Forest appeared in control at half time courtesy of an Igor Jesus brace, the forward reacting quickest for his first before finishing a slick move in stoppage time. Swansea had earlier felt aggrieved when Malick Yalcouye went down in the area, only for referee Bobby Madley to wave away the appeals. Alan Sheehan’s side lacked tempo before the interval, with debutants Ishe Samuels-Smith and Manuel Benson still bedding in and Ethan Galbraith the pick of the home midfield.
The game flipped after the break. Swansea pressed higher, moved the ball quicker and finally made set pieces count when Eom Ji-sung delivered a precise corner on 68 minutes for Burgess to rise and thump a header past goalkeeper John Victor. Forest still had chances to kill it, but substitutes Callum Hudson-Odoi and Arnaud Kalimuendo were off target and Andy Fisher made a crucial save to keep the tie alive.
Vipotnik and Burgess complete the heist
Belief surged into added time. Liam Cullen, sharp off the bench, attacked space down the left and drove a low cross that Vipotnik met cleanly to level on 93 minutes. Four minutes later came pandemonium. Galbraith crashed a 25-yard strike against the bar, the rebound fell kindly, and Burgess reacted first to force the ball over the line for his second of the night and Swansea’s winner.
Comeback courtesy of Sheehan
The comeback owed much to Sheehan’s in-game tweaks, with the introductions of Cullen and Vipotnik adding thrust and precision. Eom remained a persistent outlet, Galbraith drove Swansea forward, and Josh Key balanced risk with defensive responsibility as the home side turned a flat performance into a thunderous cup night under the lights.
Forest will rue missed opportunities and a late loss of composure after controlling long stretches. For Swansea, this was a statement of resilience and momentum, as a largely new-look side found a ruthless edge when it mattered most.
Writer’s View
This was the archetypal cup tie, defined by moments rather than method. Swansea were second best before the interval, but Sheehan’s changes and a shift in intensity transformed the picture. Burgess embodied the surge, dominant in both boxes and decisive at key moments, while Galbraith’s authority grew as the spaces opened up.
Forest’s failure to finish the job invited chaos and Swansea embraced it. If this group can bottle that last-half-hour mentality and fuse it with the control Sheehan wants, the performance can be a springboard rather than a one-off.
