United Manager Chris Hughton:

"We’ve got good momentum at the moment and that makes a big difference. Winning becomes a habit: you sometimes get a little bit disappointed because you want everything and at 3-0 up I felt we didn’t do well enough in the second half. On another occasion, we might not get away with it.

"But I generally feel that if the score is 0-0 at half-time, I don’t think we get that second-half performance. We’ve produced some really good finishes recently, and we’ve been helped by some really good delivery. That hasn’t always been the case. We’ve had periods of the season where we’d have liked to have made things a bit more comfortable for ourselves, but they’ve ended up being quite scrappy wins.

“If you ask anybody in my position, you want to win the game however you win it.

"We’re very pleased. It’s the most important gap – on third place – and all we can do is continue to do what we’re doing and be hopeful that other results go for us. You’ve always got to look over 94 minutes and to come away with three goals at home in a very good first-half period and not to concede . . . you can’t ask for any more.

"You’ll see numerous games where a team takes the lead and the score finishes the same as it was at half-time, especially against a team in the form of Swansea. They showed it’s no coincidence they are where they are. They caused us more problems in the second half, but we defended superbly."

On Coloccini:

"I thought he was outstanding. You normally don't want that to be the case with centre-backs because it means they've been kept busy. But I thought he coped very well with the way Swansea played and always looked comfortable. He's a real class defender and I thought the man-of-the-match award was thoroughly deserved."

On Smith:

"I'm disappointed for Smudger, because it's been a really good season for him. For him to cap off the result with a goal would have been fabulous.

"He's probably run, I would think, some 60 yards to get there, and it would have been a fitting finish to the game. That would have been nice, but the most important thing for Alan Smith is his contribution to the team, and if he can add the odd goal, then the better."

On Harewood:

I'm pleased for Marlon. To be fair to him, we knew when he came he wasn't really up to speed with his fitness, but we knew he'd get stronger and fitter, but that still doesn't guarantee goals. There was a part of me that wanted him to leave him on, but the bigger part is the team. It wasn't particularly Marlon dipping in his form.

"I just wanted to bring a bit of freshness on. We were losing a fair bit of possession, and you just want a different option. Probably, at that stage, it would have been Marlon or Peter, but because of the fact Peter can drop that little bit deeper, we decided to take Marlon off."

On Harper:

“My feeling is that Steve will be okay. He just felt his back, which was starting to stiffen up. It was the right decision to take him off."

A fifth successive victory, top spot in the table and a tenth clean sheet from 18 league outings - all cause for celebration, as was the twenty minute salvo that put us three goals clear before the half hour mark.

The visitors had arrived on an eleven match unbeaten run, propelling them to their highest league placing in over quarter of a century and with an increasing reputation for defensive meanness and decent football.

However they met a side who were in equally fine fettle at the back and with a revamped strikeforce who proved to have more of a cutting edge had been anticipated before kickoff. 

And as well as those factors, the architectural apprehensiveness that is dogging long-time SJP absentees this season was to the fore again, with City no better than previous opponents Peterborough in protecting the Gallowgate End goal in the opening stages. 

The first of a hat trick of headers came from the unfancied Harewood, who had replaced the ailing Andy Carroll at Preston and kept his place in the starting XI despite the claims of Ranger, with Ameobi not quite ready for a return after his injury layoff.

Then after Lovenkrands had exploited more defensive weakness, Harewood was left alone again to wrap things up: three chances, three goals, goodnight.(although long-term SJP watchers will recall that we've squandered three goal leads before...)
 

The balance of play from then on began to alter though, as Swansea belatedly started to find their feet - and their men - with Steve Harper twice acrobatically leaping to his left to tip goalbound efforts away. That exertion hardly helped the back spasms he'd been troubled with since earlier in the game and he made way for Tim Krul at the interval.

Those home fans towards the Leazes End who waited expectantly for some net-based action were to be disappointed however, as City took the initiative from the off and played the better football in the second half without ever really threatening to produce a memorable comeback.

Danny Simpson heading off the line when Steven Taylor had left the field for treatment, while Krul rushed off his line to make one timely block and then preserved his clean sheet with another close range intervention in time added on.

United were also boosted by Sousa's replacement of Darren Pratley, whose passing range had caused the home side some problems.   

Harewood did his best to look gutted at being dragged off in favour of Ranger and thus denied the opportunity to complete his hat trick, although he'd barely had a touch of the ball on the City side of the pitch since scoring.

Comparisons with Viduka were made post-match, although the man from Melbourne was a) more expensive and b) boasted a better first touch. Finding the net at an opportune time though was a trait of the Aussie - and with Ameobi almost back, Lovenkrands also belatedly becoming match fit and Carroll only temporarily absent, Hughton has a greater range of striking options than his Championship counterparts - and can nurture Ranger rather than exploit him.

The arrival of Ranger roused the crowd, but the volume increased more noticeably when Pancrate made his entrance. He served notice of his intentions with a forceful run down the right that ultimately saw him lose possession, but continued running as the ball was cleared via goalkeeper and defender - those efforts at retrieval drawing as much applause as his initial forward burst.

And the debutant was involved again down the same flank soon after, with Lovenkrands somehow not chalking up another assist when his dolly of a cross was headed over by Ranger with the most of the goal open up to him.

That really should have been the teenager's first goal and there was to be an even more agonising passage of play, as Alan Smith dashed headlong upfield to spearhead a counter attack, taking Pancrate's pass in his stride but blasting his shot against the City keeper's legs. Had that gone in, there would have been people on the pitch....

For all the positive and supportive comments of their boss (who took to the field at the final whistle to praise his side), Swansea weren't robbed or cheated here, but beaten fair and square by a side who were out of sight before the visitors could compose themselves.

However, the award of the sponsor's (well-judged) man of the match trinket to Fabricio Coloccini gave some indication of the way the game went. Maybe there's something about the Welsh he likes; after scoring his first Toon goal at Cardiff earlier in the season, he was calm and competent throughout this game - and even able to cover up for the misfiring Enrique, who had a real off day. For a defender to win the accolade in a 3-0 home win was telling. 

Post match reports that Chris Hughton tore a strip off his charges for their lack-lustre second half showing are interesting, if one takes that as notice that he felt his side weren't trying their utmost and had eased off after their half time cuppa, job done.

From our perspective though, Sousa caught the mood when he spoke about Hughton urging his side upfield after the break - invention being lacking rather than effort. A lack of pace in midfield (Nolan again bypassed on home ground) and a general absence of organisation when things started to get tight were concerning. 

We simply didn't have a reliable enough outlet, with Gutierrez a non-event after half time, but it didn't matter- this time. That SJP factor and the comparative strength of the squad (with genuine options on the bench) saw us through again, with the increasing fitness and effectiveness of both scorers frankly a relief.

To now be eight points ahead of third spot is perhaps the biggest boost though - while not wishing to deny anyone not around in 1993 the chance to see a trophy waved around SJP, getting promoted and avoiding the accursed playoffs is the only thing that matters this season.  

Biffa