Swansea City 2-2 Middlesbrough: Tommy Conway penalty earns Boro a point but they fail to retake second spot
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea City and Middlesbrough at the Swansea.com Stadium on Easter Monday; Boro slip up again in promotion race as Tommy Conway penalty earns them a point
Monday 6 April 2026 21:34, UK
Tommy Conway scored a second-half penalty equaliser as promotion-chasing Middlesbrough earned a precious point from a 2-2 Championship draw away to Swansea.
In a match of three penalties, Conway's 75th-minute effort levelled things up after two first-half spot-kicks for Swansea's Zan Vipotnik.
Boro would have moved back into the top two with a win, but the draw means they remain in third.
Alex Bangura had opened the scoring for Kim Hellberg's side before Championship top scorer Vipotnik's double as Swansea sit 15th.
Having lost at home to Millwall on Good Friday, Middlesbrough were desperate to revive their campaign. They produced a positive opening and deservedly went ahead in the 12th minute through a spectacular strike from Bangura.
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The Sierra Leone defender made the most of an error by Swansea youngster Sam Parker to surge forward before exchanging passes with Conway and smashing the ball past a startled Lawrence Vigouroux in the Swansea goal.
It was Bangura's first goal in almost two years and the opening salvo to what would prove an eventful first half for the Boro wing-back.
The hosts had hardly sustained any pressure or created any opportunities aside from one optimistic shout for a penalty when the ball struck Boro skipper Luke Ayling in the chest.
But midway through the half, Bangura lunged at Liam Cullen just as the Swans forward was sliding the ball out of his opponent's reach and the hosts were awarded a penalty.
Vipotnik made no mistake from the spot to level things up at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Boro regained their composure and three blocked shots in the same attacking sequence reflected the pressure the home side were again under.
But Bangura then needed lengthy treatment after a challenge by Parker and the defender eventually left the field to be replaced by Finley Munroe in the 34th minute.
The switch seemed to unsettle the visitors' defence and Vipotnik was immediately presented with two half-chances he was unable to seize.
But in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage-time, another reckless Boro challenge enabled Vipotnik to score his second penalty.
This time, it was goalkeeper Sol Brynn who dragged down Jisung Eom, even though it appeared an unnecessary intervention.
Vipotnik deployed the same stuttering run-up as in his first kick, but this time rolled the ball into the opposite corner.
Swansea looked comfortable for much of the early stages of the second half, even though neither side threatened.
Both teams made changes either side of the hour mark, but Boro looked the more revived and Vigouroux had to make a brilliant save to deny a curling 20-yard effort from Aidan Morris.
Swansea's escape proved short-lived, though, as referee Matthew Donohue awarded his third - and least convincing - penalty in the 75th minute.
Eom found himself the wrong side of Callum Brittain and when the full-back went down, it was judged sufficient for another spot-kick that was slotted home by Conway to make it 2-2.
Cullen drew a late save from Brynn, but Boro clung on for a precious point.
The managers
Swansea's Vitor Matos:
"We needed to control the game without the ball, getting compact, getting the right timings, the right positions, the right organisation.
"We knew Middlesbrough is a really good team with the ball, with a lot of individual technique in all positions, which can hurt you.
"With two games (over Easter) and all the internationals arriving last Thursday, you need first to be organised and compact and then you can put pressure and be effective.
"That's what we tried and then when we had the ball, we tried to use it to create some good chances.
"We needed to use counter-attacks and for that some players were really important. I think overall it was a good game."
Middlesbrough's Kim Hellberg:
"Ipswich are in a massive pole position. We have to find wins and points. Even though this period has been poor, we have suffered only a few defeats. It's the draws that have killed us.
"We probably have to win all five of our remaining games to get past them. It's very difficult to get those wins, but we will try and get as many points as possible and then we will see where we end up.
"You cannot concede penalties like that. I know that, the players know that, but everyone makes mistakes - I do it every day.
"It's how you recover that matters. It's easy to blame people but I thought we were strong and I was impressed with the group."
