Carroll opened the scoring before the interval with a superb left-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area, although a Mark Noble own goal after 74 minutes denied the visitors to the Liberty Stadium victory.
The 26-year-old's effort was his third in two Premier League matches against Swansea this season, and McDonald - standing in for the unwell Sam Allardyce - believes Carroll sometimes gets a raw deal from pundits and officials.
"People just think he's a big lump, but he's not," said McDonald. "He's got a lot more to his game and he takes a lot of batterings from the centre-half.
"Sometimes he doesn't get that little bit of protection that we think he should, but he battles on.
"He's got a great touch, his interlink play is really good and he's a goalscorer with his head and with his feet.
"He showed how good he is with his feet [at Swansea] by putting it in the top corner."
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