Matos steps aside as Swansea celebrate 4-0 win over Blackburn

Vitor Matos said he wanted Swansea City's players to take the plaudits after he left them to savour the moment at the Swansea.com Stadium following their 4-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers on 31 October 2026. Matos, who will celebrate a year in charge at Swansea next month, acknowledged the home crowd before heading down the tunnel rather than celebrating in front of the East Stand.

Swansea recovered from a 5-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers last weekend and a recent home loss to West Ham United by dismantling an in-form Blackburn side. Stephen Eustaquio, Joseph Opoku, Filip Lissah and Ross Stewart scored as Swansea produced their biggest win of the season. Blackburn had arrived in Wales on the back of four wins in their previous six games.

Reflecting on the reaction he wanted for his squad, Matos said: "I think after last week, more than for me, this was for them," Matos said. "They needed to have that feeling. They needed to have that moment. "The responsibility is always mine when we don't win, but when we win, they need to get that feeling, and that's what I wanted: for them to have the connection with the fans."

Matos also praised the character in his group after the response to the Rangers mauling. "We have a lot of players with really good character, a lot of players with a squad full of really good human beings," Matos added. "I think that's the most important thing for us, to have these types of players who really care about where they are, really care about the team, really care about each other, really care about the club. "That's what we try to build, and when you have this kind of answer after what happened last week, you can see that."

Swansea sit second in the table after leaders Middlesbrough beat Charlton, and one of the match's standout performers, Stephen Eustaquio, left the pitch late complaining of a groin issue and will be assessed. The head coach also noted he had deliberately avoided his usual celebration spot to ensure the players had their moment with supporters.

Swansea are back in action at Portsmouth on Tuesday, with the game to be played at Fratton Park, and Matos will hope to have Marko Stamenic available after the New Zealand international missed out against Blackburn because of a virus.