Blood, Sweat, Tears, Fears And Cheers For Goncalo Franco And Swansea City

Myles Peart-Harris of Swansea City (3rd L). (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)

Blood, Sweat, Tears, Fears And Cheers For Goncalo Franco And Swansea City

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By Paul Jones

Swansea City have climbed to ninth in the Championship after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Luton Town, capped by Myles Peart-Harris’ stoppage-time winner.

However, the triumph was overshadowed by an injury to Goncalo Franco, who left the pitch in tears after suffering a brutal collision that sent him to hospital.

The game started with Carlton Morris gifting Luton the lead in the fifth minute after capitalising on a mistake by Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux.

Attempting a risky clearance, Vigouroux’s kick fell straight to Morris, who calmly volleyed home for his seventh goal of the season.

Swansea gradually found their footing, creating a series of chances to test Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski.

Matt Grimes’ dangerous delivery led to a chaotic goalmouth scramble in the 38th minute, where Franco showed his predatory instincts by pouncing on a rebound to level the scores.

The goal was Franco’s second in as many matches, following his Boxing Day strike.

The match turned physical in the second half, and Swansea suffered a significant blow when Franco was forced off after colliding with Luton defender Mark McGuinness.

The clash left blood streaming from Franco’s mouth, and despite his efforts to continue, he was ultimately substituted.

“He was in tears because he wanted to play,” Swansea head coach Luke Williams revealed.

“But he has four teeth in a completely different position to where they were when the game kicked off. The guy is a monster.

“He is not crying because his teeth have been rearranged, he is crying because he wants to carry on playing.”

Franco’s withdrawal did not go unnoticed on the field, as Luton threatened to regain the lead.

McGuinness came close, while Harry Darling’s unmarked header at the other end was denied by Kaminski’s quick reflexes.

Luton’s hopes of stealing a result faded when Joe Johnson, already on a yellow card, was sent off for halting Eom Ji-sung’s surge.

Down to 10 men, Luton dug in but ultimately succumbed to Swansea’s relentless pressure.

In the first of seven minutes of added time, substitute Peart-Harris rose highest to head in Grimes’ pinpoint cross, securing a dramatic victory and sending the home fans into raptures.

Peart-Harris’ heroics lifted Swansea closer to the play-off spots while extending Luton’s away-day misery to nine consecutive losses.

Williams, meanwhile, praised Franco’s resilience despite the unfortunate injury.

“I know when he comes off he is worried it is going to keep him sidelined longer than he wants. That’s the only reason he is in tears,” Williams said.

He also defended McGuinness, who was involved in the collision with Franco:

“I think the player (McGuinness) tried to protect himself and he is a big powerful athlete. He caught Goncalo right in the face but I don’t think there’s any malice.”

Swansea now prepare for their next clash against Portsmouth on New Year’s Day, with Franco’s availability still uncertain.

“He was desperate to stay on, but he was dizzy and couldn’t close his mouth properly,” Williams added.

Despite the injury concerns, the victory highlighted Swansea’s determination and rising momentum, leaving Luton perilously close to the relegation zone, just four points above the bottom three.

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