Okonkwo error hands Swans last-gasp win over Wrexham

A calamitous error from Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo handed Adam Idah a stoppage-time winning goal, as Swansea City were gifted a precious Championship victory in the first league meeting between the two Welsh clubs for 22 years.

The highly anticipated encounter looked destined to end in an anti-climactic draw until Okonkwo made a hash of a Swansea cross.

He then compounded his initial mistake by dropping Ben Cabango's looping header right into the path of substitute Idah, who could not believe his luck as he tapped in from a yard out.

Wrexham had led at the interval despite not having a shot in the first half, as Swansea centre-back Cameron Burgess headed his third own goal of the season from Ryan Longman's cross.

Swansea dominated possession and had plenty of efforts on goal but created few, if any, clear scoring opportunities before Zan Vipotnik equalised midway through the second half with a low shot which took a huge deflection off Dom Hyam.

Substitute Liam Cullen had a late chance to snatch victory for the home side but fired his first-time shot narrowly wide, and then Okonkwo had his moment to forget which sparked jubilant celebrations at a sold-out Swansea.com Stadium.

A third win in six games under new head coach Vitor Matos lifts Swansea to 17th in the Championship table, just two points and two places behind Wrexham.

Matches between teams in the bottom half of the Championship do not tend to feature pre-match fireworks and attract global audiences that include a watch party in Los Angeles – but that is the strange new reality of the division's Welsh clubs and their celebrity owners.

Rapper and Swansea co-owner Snoop Dogg was hosting the event, while Wrexham's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac were probably watching elsewhere in California having been in north Wales the previous weekend for their match against Watford.

As their teams met in a league fixture for the first time since 2003, the question dominating much of the pre-match debate was whether or not this game counted as a derby.

The cities of Swansea and Wrexham are more than 100 miles apart, but Swans head coach Matos used the word "derby" in his pre-match interviews, while his counterpart Phil Parkinson wanted his team to prove they are "the pride of Wales".

There was certainly an edge to this renewed rivalry, with the two sets of fans exchanging hostilities to generate a lively atmosphere.

The match itself struggled to match that intensity – until the dramatic closing stages.

Defeat would have been harsh on Swansea, who had the better of the contest, even if they lacked the quality in the final third to trouble their dogged opponents.

Fortunately for them, Vipotnik's strike took a massive deflection to bring them level, and the most charitable act of all was Okonkwo's in the 91st minute.

His initial punch from a deep cross was bad enough, going as it did straight to Cabango. Then when the Wales centre-back headed the ball back into the six-yard box, seemingly harmlessly, Okonkwo inexplicably dropped it at Idah's feet.

The former Celtic striker tapped in to prompt huge roars of celebrations from Swans fans, who appreciated the importance of three points in their battle for Championship survival as much as the blow they were able to land against their Welsh rivals.

Swansea head coach Vitor Matos:

"I think it was a really emotional game like we all expected. I think we started the game a little bit nervous.

"Wrexham started the game pressing really high, man-marking that made us a little bit sloppy in some moments with the ball, so it did not create the momentum we wanted from the start.

"After the goal, the reaction we had was brilliant. We bounced back perfectly, starting to find momentum, starting to find the right players, having the time, controlling the tempo, pressing, shooting, trying to create chances against a really good team. So that's what we did. I think we got the reward of that."

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson:

"It's a tough way to lose a game of football. We had a great start in the game. I was really pleased how we started the game.

"We looked in good control. Did we have enough periods of that control? We made a lot of technical mistakes but so did they. It was that tense kind of evening.

"But the two goals, we can see that the first one is a tamely hit shot which has got a double ricochet and gone in and obviously the goal which has decided the game is a tough one for us to take."