Cardiff City earned a 1-0 win at home to Welsh rivals Swansea City on Sunday in the first ever meeting between the sides in the Premier League.

The decisive goal came with 61 minutes on the clock when Steven Caulker rose highest to head in Craig Bellamy's corner.

A miserable afternoon for Swansea was made worse late on when their goalkeeper Michel Vorm was shown a straight red card for bringing down Fraizer Campbell.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the match in the Welsh capital.

Match statistics:

Cardiff:
Shots 9
On target 3
Possession 45%
Corners 6
Fouls 11

Swansea:
Shots 10
On target 3
Possession 55%
Corners 3
Fouls 7

Was the result fair?

There was little to separate the sides during what was a largely drab 90 minutes at the Cardiff City Stadium, and a share of the spoils would have been the most reasonable outcome. Both teams saw momentum swing their way at regular intervals, though neither did enough with the ball to dominate consistently. However, it was the hosts who took their chance and the points.

Cardiff's performance

The home side showed plenty of commitment against their local rivals, with Gary Medel and Craig Bellamy in particular putting in big displays. However, Cardiff also struggled to pass the ball and often failed to make anything happen in advanced positions. Overall it was a very average performance from Malky Mackay's men.

Swansea's performance

The Swans controlled the game for large parts of the first half, but lacked a clinical edge in the final third. After the break they lost their grip on the contest and paid the price. Similar to their opponents, they often looked scared of losing the match and contributed to a poor spectacle for the neutrals. On another day they would have won this comfortably, but the occasion definitely affected them more than their opponents.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Gary Medel: The tenacious Cardiff midfielder was a relentless presence for the hosts, hustling Swansea out of possession and mixing it up with some tasty challenges. His passing was also an outstanding feature as he distributed the ball precisely and calmly throughout.

Biggest gaffe

Swansea had a great chance to take the lead in the opening few minutes of the match, but Michu fired over from close range when he would have been expected to have at least hit the target.

Referee performance

Mike Dean was superb in the middle, keeping control of what could easily have been a wild encounter. He brandished his first yellow card in the final 10 minutes before making the correct decision by sending off Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm in injury time.

What next?

Cardiff: The Bluebirds continue their Premier League campaign next Saturday with a trip to Aston Villa.

Swansea: The Swans return to Europa League action on Thursday when they travel to Russia to face Kuban Krasnodar in Group A.