The Bluebirds and Wales defender produced the defining moment in Cardiff’s emphatic 4-0 win away at Doncaster Rovers, a result that sent head coach Barry-Murphy’s team back to the top of their game following a chastening defeat a week earlier.
Lawlor’s breathtaking run, which began on the edge of his own penalty area and ended with a composed finish at the other end, effectively decided the contest seconds after the restart.
With Cardiff already leading 1-0 at the break, the defender surged through the heart of the Doncaster side, brushed aside the first challenge and kept going before calmly slotting home to double the advantage.
Barry-Murphy was quick to single out the goal as a moment of outstanding quality and intelligence, particularly given the way Doncaster attempted to press Cardiff high up the pitch.
“Dylan did something similar with his goal against Leyton Orient and we know how dangerous Doncaster are and how they press the ball,” the Cardiff boss said.
“But, once Dylan had gone past their first man and it opened up for him, it was great to see him keep going on and finishing in such an immaculate manner.”
The goal capped a dominant display from Cardiff, who had been eager to make amends after their surprise 5-2 defeat at Plymouth the previous weekend.
Barry-Murphy admitted there had been a strong sense of expectation around the game, fuelled by discussions with supporters in the days leading up to the trip to South Yorkshire.
“We had an incredible away following and I really wanted to give them a performance in response to Saturday’s defeat,” he said.
“We had a really satisfying week leading up to the game and, at the fans’ forum with the chairman, the supporters made it really clear how many would be travelling and what they expected in terms of a performance, so it was pleasing that we showed the best version of ourselves.”
Cardiff had laid the foundations for the win midway through the first half.
Lawlor, influential at both ends of the pitch, clipped a delicate ball into the box for Alex Robertson, who took a touch and lifted his finish over goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala to open the scoring after 26 minutes.
The first half remained competitive, with Doncaster threatening to respond through Brandon Hanlan, only for Lawlor to produce a superb sliding block after the forward powered into the area.
Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished almost immediately after the interval by Lawlor’s remarkable solo effort.
From there, Cardiff took full control. Cian Ashford extended the lead in the 56th minute, turning in a low drilled cross from Rubin Colwill, before Callum Robinson completed the rout with virtually the final kick of the match, intercepting a loose pass and finishing from close range.
Barry-Murphy also highlighted the importance of adapting to difficult playing conditions, noting that the surface posed challenges for both sides.
“It was a difficult pitch, which wouldn’t have suited Doncaster either because they are a good, technical team, but you have to adapt to the conditions and I was pleased with how we did that,” he said.
While Cardiff left with a comprehensive victory, Doncaster manager Grant McCann accepted responsibility for the way the game slipped away from his side, particularly in the moments immediately after half-time.
“That second half is on me. I just apologised to the players because I should have changed it at half-time,” McCann said.
“I said to the staff during the game that I thought it was going a certain way and you saw it plain as day when we went into the second half.
“Our two centre-backs were redundant in the game and that’s nothing against the two lads. But the way Cardiff play, they overload you in the middle of the pitch.
“I should have changed it at half-time, I didn’t and we’re 2-0 down within 30 seconds.”
McCann acknowledged that Lawlor’s goal would be replayed and discussed from Cardiff’s perspective for some time, but was scathing about how easily his team were breached.
“From their point of view they’ll be talking about Lawlor’s goal for weeks but from ours it’s unacceptable for a centre-back to run from his own box, right through the middle of the pitch and score,” he said.
“We gave ourselves an absolute mountain to climb straight away but once we changed it, we were better.”
