Swansea Vs Preston: Liam Cullen’s stoppage‑time header rescues point, Snoop Dogg’s visit fuels record crowd and home streak

The impact of this Swansea vs Preston night was felt most by the fans and the squad: a stoppage‑time equaliser from Liam Cullen salvaged a 1-1 draw, a celebrity co‑owner’s first appearance drew a record crowd of 20, 233 to the Swansea. com Stadium, and both teams leave with tightened play‑off math. Swansea extended their unbeaten home run to nine, while the visitors remain five points off the final play‑off places and Swansea three points further back.

Swansea Vs Preston — who felt the change, and how

Here’s the part that matters: the late header changed immediate expectations for supporters and the home side’s momentum. The Swansea. com Stadium staged a rapturous reception tied to a seven‑minute lap of honour and a twirling‑towel guard of honour for Snoop Dogg on his first visit as a minority owner, which helped produce a sold‑out atmosphere. The match finished 1-1, leaving Preston narrowly outside the play‑off positions and Swansea still chasing from slightly farther back.

Key moments that decided the scoreline

Preston took a deserved lead in the 26th minute when Daniel Jebbison turned the ball in from close range, ending an 11‑game scoring drought. The move began with Lewis Dobbin finding wing‑back Andrija Vukcevic; Vukcevic’s cross met Callum Lang at the back post, and Lang directed the ball toward Jebbison who finished from close range. Earlier in the match a back‑pass situation involving Cameron Burgess and goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux almost gifted Jebbison an empty‑net chance, with Burgess recovering to clear.

Swansea’s response came deep into stoppage time: Liam Cullen adjusted to a delivery and glanced a header into the far corner in the fifth and final minute of added time to level the score and preserve the home side’s run without defeat at the Swansea. com Stadium.

How the teams performed and the tactical shifts

Preston were stronger in the opening period and had the better early chances. Swansea improved after the break: skipper Ben Cabango twice threatened from set‑pieces, Cullen had at least two ferocious strikes blocked and Malick Yalcouye could not convert a clear opportunity after a fluent move. Substitutions were significant — Swansea had handed a first start to Leo Walta and Ronald also started, while Melker Widell and Gustavo Nunes began on the bench; later the manager made changes at the restart, bringing on Josh Key, Gustavo Nunes and Yalcouye while Jay Fulton, Ronald and Walta made way. Nunes did provide a threatening ball that forced a Preston clearance soon after coming on, and a neat knockdown from Widell set up a blocked Cullen volley before the late equaliser.

Standings and form context captured before and after the match

Pre‑match context noted that Swansea had been 15th in the division and came into the fixture off a 1-0 victory over Bristol City; Preston had recently lost a Lancashire derby away at Blackburn Rovers. Preview material in the build‑up identified Swansea as being six points behind Wrexham in sixth with only 13 matches left in the season and highlighted that Swansea had lost just one of their last 23 home league games against Preston, winning 10 of their last 11 at the Swansea. com Stadium. Preston had been struggling for form with only one win in their previous five league games, were sitting 10th but only three points behind sixth, and had won the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier in the season.

After the match the immediate arithmetic stayed tight: Preston are five points off the final play‑off places, while Swansea are three points further back. Preston had won only one of their previous seven league matches heading into the game; Swansea extended an unbeaten home run to nine games with Cullen’s late equaliser.

• Attendance at the Swansea. com Stadium: 20, 233 (a record crowd linked to the co‑owner’s first visit).
• Daniel Jebbison ended an 11‑game scoring drought with the opening goal.
• Liam Cullen scored in the fifth and final minute of added time to make it 1-1.
• Stadium originally opened in 2005; the co‑owner became a minority owner in July and made his first visit that night.

Short takeaways and forward signals

• Swansea’s late save preserves home momentum and keeps that unbeaten run alive; squad rotation and the second‑half improvements will be a talking point for the manager.
• Preston’s goalbreaking form from Jebbison and their early period control underline why they remain close to the play‑off picture despite inconsistent recent results.
• If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up: the crowd and celebrity ownership angle have become part of the club’s immediate narrative, but the on‑pitch changes — substitutions and late composure — decided the result.

What’s easy to miss is the sequence of substitutions and how they immediately altered Swansea’s fluency after the break; that window produced the chances that eventually led to the dramatic finish. The real question now is whether both clubs can convert these near‑misses and late rescues into consistent runs over the remaining fixtures.

Note on timing: a preview snapshot in the build‑up carried a timestamp of 22 Feb 2026 21: 06 and highlighted the late‑season context; the stadium was noted as opening in 2005 and the minority ownership arrival was recorded as taking place in July (year unclear in the provided context). Timeline and squad availability details were drawn from the pre‑match notes and the match report embedded above.