Swansea Vs Preston: Cullen Header Cancels Out Jebbison as Substitutes Shine in 1-1 Draw

Liam Cullen’s stoppage-time header rescued a 1-1 home draw for Swansea City in the Sky Bet Championship clash with Preston North End, a result that ensured the lively late substitutes received the plaudits. The match, played at the Swansea. com Stadium on February 24, 2026, mattered in part because of a high-profile visitor, Snoop Dogg, whose long-awaited trip to the ground failed to see the home side find a winner.

Swansea. com Stadium: match setting and final score

The Sky Bet Championship fixture at the Swansea. com Stadium finished 1-1, with Preston taking an early advantage and Swansea salvaging a point deep into stoppage-time. Daniel Jebbison struck in the first half to give the visitors the lead, forcing Swansea into a second-half response that ultimately culminated in Cullen’s late header.

Liam Cullen: substitute impact and the equaliser

Liam Cullen came off the bench and scored what the match photographer identified as his team’s first goal in the game, heading home from a substitute-created chance deep into stoppage-time. Gustavo Nunes, who had been introduced at half-time, delivered the cross that Cullen met, and that assist was singled out in the post-match player ratings—Gustavo receiving a mark of 7 for producing the decisive ball.

Daniel Jebbison: first-half strike that shaped the game

Daniel Jebbison’s first-half goal put Preston ahead and changed the flow of the contest; Swansea were pushed to chase the game and make multiple second-half substitutions at the interval. The visitors’ lead forced tactical adjustments that included three halftime changes, each made on the 46th minute, which in turn altered Swansea’s attacking rhythm and led to the late equaliser.

Swansea Vs Preston: substitutes, minutes and ratings

Substitutes were a defining feature of the night. At 46 minutes, three changes were recorded: Josh Key replaced Fulton and was given a 7 for a lively showing down the right; Malick Yalcouye came on for Walta, took a presentable one-on-one chance that he missed and was rated 6; Gustavo Nunes replaced Ronald, produced the cross for Cullen’s header and earned a 7. The pattern of halftime replacements—three on the 46th minute—was a direct response to Preston’s first-half lead and helped swing momentum back toward Swansea.

Player performances and key moments noted in ratings

The published player notes captured a range of contributions. The goalkeeper was deemed not to be at fault for the goal and made a “brilliant save late on” that kept Swansea in the match. One defender was said to have been given a torrid time by Andrew Hughes in the first half before improving after a move into midfield at the interval. Another player was described as reasonably solid and headed agonisingly wide just after half-time.

There were also specific criticisms: one defender was judged to have completely lost Jebbison for the opening goal, while another allowed Lang to get ahead of him for that same strike but improved as the game progressed. Midfielders were noted for good pressing and tackling in places but were also described as being bypassed at times; several outfield starters were substituted and labelled as having run into cul-de-sacs down the right or failing to match the game’s pace before being replaced.

Photograph and production credits

The match coverage included a photograph credited to Dan Mullan/Getty Images that captured Liam Cullen scoring. The full-match footage was made available for viewing from the Swansea. com Stadium fixture. Production credits for the club’s online presentation note © 2026 Swansea City Association Football Club Limited, with the club site designed and built by Other Media and powered by Clubcast.

What makes this notable is how the halftime substitutions—three changes on the 46th minute—directly altered Swansea’s attacking geometry, enabling a substitute to convert a late cross and transform a likely defeat into a draw. The timing matters because Preston’s first-half goal had forced Swansea into those changes, and the equaliser was the tangible effect of that sequence.