Swansea City 4-0 Blackburn Rovers | Halloween Matchday

Sky Bet Championship: Saturday, 31 October 2026 | 3:00pm | Swansea.com Stadium.

Halloween could have gone either way for Swansea City. After last week’s horror show against Queens Park Rangers, I was hoping we had seen the end of the nightmares. There was always the possibility, of course, that we might end up with a double horror show! Thankfully, this time it was Blackburn Rovers who experienced the fright, as Swansea produced a fantastic response with a convincing 4-0 victory.

It was lovely to see a packed Swansea.com Stadium and such a positive response from Vitor Matos and his players. After two difficult results, the supporters had plenty to cheer about, and the atmosphere reflected that. Sometimes football gives you an afternoon that reminds you exactly why you keep coming back, and this was certainly one of them.

It was also lovely to have my brother along for the afternoon. He has been to Swansea matches before, but this was the first time he had witnessed such a convincing victory. At least he got to enjoy four goals and a clean sheet! Although I am not sure he was quite as impressed with the long walk through Hafod after discovering there was no convenient parking nearby. Still, a 4-0 win certainly made the walk home a little easier to forgive.

A first-half performance to remember

Swansea wasted little time putting last weekend’s disappointment behind them. The players came out with purpose, confidence and a determination that had perhaps been missing in recent performances.

Stephen Eustaquio opened the scoring after just 11 minutes, finishing from close range after Joseph Opoku did brilliantly to get past his defender and deliver the ball across the face of goal.

Opoku then got his own name on the scoresheet, taking advantage of a defensive mistake before calmly finding the bottom corner. It was another excellent contribution from the young forward, who has already made a positive impression since arriving at Swansea.

The goals kept coming, and Filip Lissah made it three before half-time. A lovely diagonal ball from Stephen Welsh sent him through on goal, and although the Blackburn goalkeeper got a touch, he could not keep out the effort. It was a particularly special moment for Lissah, scoring his first senior goal for the club.

At half-time, Swansea had a comfortable 3-0 advantage, and the difference in confidence and quality between the two sides was there for everyone to see.

Stewart adds the finishing touch

Ross Stewart, making his first start since arriving from Southampton in the summer, had been given the opportunity to lead the line. He certainly made the most of it.

His goal was arguably the pick of the afternoon. Following a clever free-kick from Eom Jisung, Stewart found himself in space and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike that flew inside the near post.

It was a superb finish and a lovely moment for the striker to get off the mark in a Swansea shirt.

Blackburn struggled to find a way back into the game, with Swansea looking comfortable and continuing to work hard defensively. The visitors offered little threat, and Swansea secured another clean sheet to round off an excellent afternoon.

A response that was needed

Following the disappointment of the 5-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers, this was exactly the response everyone wanted to see.

Vitor Matos described the performance as a really good response, highlighting the players’ desire, concentration, quality and belief. He was also quick to point out that one poor result did not make Swansea a bad team, just as this victory did not suddenly make them the best.

That is probably a sensible way of looking at football. There will always be ups and downs over a long season, but the important thing is how a team responds when things do not go to plan.

For Blackburn, it was a particularly disappointing afternoon, with manager Tony Mowbray admitting his side had got things wrong against a very good Swansea team.

For us Swans supporters, however, there was plenty to enjoy.

It was lovely to see the Swansea family leaving the stadium with smiles on their faces. Having followed the club through some difficult periods in previous seasons, including managerial appointments that struggled to get the best out of the team at this level, performances like this are particularly satisfying.

Football is never just about the result. It is the shared experience, the people around you, the atmosphere and those afternoons when everything seems to come together.

After last weekend’s nightmare, Halloween turned out to be rather a treat after all!

Final thoughts: Four goals, a clean sheet, a fantastic team performance and three valuable points. Hopefully, this is something for Matos and his players to build on as the season continues. More afternoons like this, please!

Come on you Swans!

Location

Address: Stadium, Plasmarl, Swansea SA1 2FA