By Jake Maddaford
Callum Robinson proved once again he is the main matchwinner for Cardiff City as he returned to net two goals for the Bluebirds in their 3-0 triumph over Swansea City in the South Wales derby.
Robinson missed his club’s last three games through suspension following a red card against Coventry City, but he announced his return to the team with two brilliant left-footed strikes.
Added to Dimitrios Goutas’ header, it was enough to give Cardiff an emphatic victory and riposte to those who felt this fixture has meant more to their rivals in recent years.
“This was my best game since I’ve been at the club,” Robinson said after the game.
“I was disappointed with my first half, but as a striker you have to move on.
“I tried to get the first one back across the goal, and the second one, I knew I was going to score once I went through.
“I came off the bench in the first game against Swansea, we got a draw then, and I got two more today, but I don’t think there’s one player who can come off the pitch saying they didn’t give their all.”
“Players understand what it means for the fans, the club, the whole city. They really wanted to do it for the gaffer as well.”
Cardiff’s 3-0 derby win over Swansea was for Omer Riza after his “extremely difficult” week, says assistant coach Tom Ramasut: https://t.co/5XrK1tEXHr
— Dafydd Pritchard (@DafPritchard) January 18, 2025
Robinson’s importance was underlined by Omar Riza’s assistant Tom Ramasut.
“He’s our talisman at the minute,” said Ramasut, who stood in for Riza at the press conference after a red card for his boss.
“His finishing is top draw, he’s got everything in his locker and he’s a huge player for us.
“We’ve got players like Kion Etete and Isaac Davies coming back, so that should hopefully keep Callum sharp.”
Keeping Robinson fit is going to be vital for Cardiff this season in their bid to survive the drop. Without his goals in this campaign, Cardiff would be joint bottom of the table with Plymouth Argyle.
His brace yesterday takes him to 10 for the season, joint fourth highest in the championship golden boot race, level with ex-Swansea forward Joel Piroe, with the next highest in the Bluebirds squad being three from Alex Robertson.
It’s a strike record that proves how vital it is that Cardiff keep Robinson fit and firing and when he isn’t available, or does go on a barren run, they find a way to pick up points without him.
This result will especially mean a lot to manager Riza, who had the home fans singing “This one’s for your dad” in support of the manager, following his father’s passing on Thursday.
Cardiff’s atmosphere made it tough for Swansea to settle, and after a disappointing performance, they drop to 13th. Meanwhile, Cardiff’s win lifts them to 20th, two points clear of the relegation zone ⚽#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/noylCvhQSA
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) January 18, 2025
The Londoner earned praise from Robinson, who added: “He’s a good human being; he hasn’t spoken about his dad once.
“He’s always asking about our families and looking back on it, it makes you think you should’ve asked him.
“He’s honest. He’ll tell you the truth, good or bad.
“I respect him because I know that he gives his all every day, he keeps everyone on board.
“The fans applauding him even after the red card, it shows that we’re all with him.”
Following the recent upturn in form under Riza, questions were raised once again about whether he should have been given the permanent job.
But Robinson suggested Riza deserves more support.
“I feel like he just gets battered all the time. People ask if he’s the right man and that we should go out and get someone else. Just give him his chance!”
While it can seem reactionary to say that he should be given the job on a long-term basis just hours after comfortably beating your rivals, claims for Riza to get the beyond the end of this season are not surprising.
The new manager bounce when he first took over following Erol Bulut’s departure in September gave a glimpse of what could be, with his team going on a run of four wins in six.
The run that followed was difficult, winless in nine, but since losing away at relegation rivals Oxford, Cardiff are on another six-game unbeaten run, including wins away at Watford and Sheffield United.
If Cardiff do keep this run going, Robinson’s desire for Riza to be given faith to keep the job into next season might well become reality.
The victory sees Cardiff climb to 20th in the Championship table, following an unbeaten run extending to six games, while the Swans have now suffered two defeats in their last three games, which keeps them in 13th position.
Their head coach Luke Williams was critical of his own players for failing to show enough fight until it was far too late after the game ended in a post-match bust-up between both sets of players.
The Swans endured their heaviest league defeat to Cardiff since 1965 before tensions boiled over in stoppage time when Riza was sent off after stepping onto the pitch during a touchline confrontation involving Swansea midfielder Goncalo Franco.
The drama continued after the final whistle, with players and staff from both teams involved in an extended period of pushing and shoving.
When questioned about the altercation, Williams said: “From our point of view it’s pathetic.
“If we think that’s going to in some way take attention away from a shoddy performance, we’re very much mistaken.
“The time for fighting was on the pitch, fighting for the ball, fighting for our fans to make one more run forward, to make one more tackle, to jump for one more header, to try to make one more action to the box, to try to make one more recovery run when your legs have gone.
“That’s fighting, not scrapping on the pitch and swearing and pushing. That’s pathetic.”
Williams admitted he is “fearful” about the repercussions Swansea might face as a result of their involvement in the post-match confrontation.
An investigation by the Football Association appears inevitable, and individual players could also face disciplinary action.
“For me it’s a problem because we lost control of the emotions in the same way we lost control of the game,” Williams added.
“The scrap at the end is a reflection of the game. We completely lost control and then started to make terrible decisions, try to make distractions from the performance.”
“For half an hour, no problem at all,” Williams said. “Then we start to be under pressure, we started to be sloppy and we were not aggressive enough when the ball was up for grabs.
“Then it looked like people started to not feel so confident with the ball.”
The defeat leaves Swansea winless in their last four matches across all competitions.
“The players know what the fixture is about. Everybody’s up for the game and everybody’s well prepared, but we lost a grip of the game and we were never able to get a foothold again.”