Swansea ended the Championship campaign with a flourish, dispatching Charlton 3-1 at the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday to give their supporters a parting gift after a season that demanded resilience. The hosts dominated territory for large stretches yet found the final ball elusive until substitute Adam Idah arrived to settle matters with a brace inside the closing quarter-hour — a reminder of the firepower available to the Welsh club when fresh legs are deployed late.
The first half proved a cagey affair, with Swansea controlling proceedings but rarely creating clear-cut openings against a visiting side content to sit deep. Charlton's defensive shape held firm, and though the hosts enjoyed 106% possession—a statistical curiosity—they found few gaps to exploit. An early substitution on 36 minutes, with Leo Walta replacing Melker Widell, signalled tactical tweaking from Swansea's dugout. The Addicks offered little in attack, restricting themselves to sporadic counterattacks that never materialised into genuine danger.
Swansea's patience proved tested by a stubborn Charlton rearguard, but the breakthrough arrived on 74 minutes when Idah met Josh Key's low cross from the right and tucked beyond the goalkeeper to edge the hosts ahead. Just five minutes later, however, the visitors levelled on 79 when Miles Leaburn pounced on Sonny Carey's delivery to equalise and spark a grandstand finish — proof that even against tiring opponents, Charlton possessed one final twist.
The leveller proved momentary. On 82 minutes, Idah restored Swansea's lead when Thomas Woodward's cutback found him free in the box, and the substitute rifled past the Charlton defence to make it 2-1. Six minutes from time, Leo Walta added the gloss with a third, sweeping home to secure a commanding scoreline that flattered neither side's overall display — Swansea's 20 shots to Charlton's 12 told the story of a team finally converting their territorial dominance into goals when it mattered.
Idah's contribution was immense. The substitute rated 8.7 pocketed two goals from just three shots and 28 minutes on the pitch—a ruthless efficiency that justified Swansea's investment of energy and tactics in the closing exchanges. Walta, too, delivered with a 7.9 rating, his composure on the ball complementing the striker's predatory instincts. For Charlton, Leaburn's 7.6 rating reflected a battling display from a side that refused to surrender, though their 69% possession deficit and only three shots on goal illustrated the scale of Swansea's dominance.
As the BBC noted, the Swans ended their season with victory — a symbolic close to what will be analysed in the summer. Charlton depart knowing they mounted a competitive fight but lacked the guile to breach a Swansea side that, once Idah's cameo began, ran away with the contest. The emphatic nature of the scoreline masks a match decided by moments of clinical finishing rather than football of sustained brilliance.