SWANSEA 0 NEWCASTLE 2
SWANSEA: Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Caulker, Taylor, Dyer (Sinclair 66), Britton, Allen, Sigurdsson, Routledge, Moore (Graham 66).
Subs Not Used: Tremmel, Tate, Monk, McEachran, Gower.
NEWCASTLE: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Perch, Santon, Gutierrez, Cabaye (Gosling 73), Ben Arfa, Tiote (Ryan Taylor 46), Cisse, Ba (Ferguson 59).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Abeid, Shola Ameobi, Tavernier.
Att: 19, 874
You can put that down to belief from the players, and a system that looks very European, but they lack the class to make it work on a regular basis.
Keeping hold of the ball is all very well, as long as you end up doing something with it!
But playing the ball along the back-line - forward to the midfield - then back again - is not going to get the thing into the back of the opponents net.
Apparently one of the Swansea defenders has the highest average in Europe of "completed passes"; which is impressive in itself; but how many actually led to something? Not many, I dare bet.
I'm sure there were periods when the Swans had about 90% possesion in a five minute period - just a shame the buggers never got out of their own half!
On the other hand we have Papiss Cisse, who probably had the ball for less than a minute in total during the course of the match, but the Senegal striker showed the home side what to do with it once you have it.
He opened the scoring with a low shot in just the fifth minute before sealing the win in the 69th minute by lofting over Michel Vorm from an impossible angle because he was falling backwards.
His ninth goal in just eight games, and it takes United into that fifth place Alan Pardew has been chasing all season - a European spot.
Swansea, who suffered a third straight league loss for the first time since 2004, had the bulk of the ball but simply didn't know what to do with it.
1-0 and looking comfortable, Pardew's boys sat back and let them tire themselves out without causing any damage.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, the Premier League Player of the Month for March, had their best chances but it was Cisse who showed him what he should have done with the ball.
Sigurdsson had an early chance for the hosts but he could only screw his shot wide after Nathan Dyer had dispossessed Demba Ba.
Then Yohan Cabaye produced a classy first-time through-ball to find Cisse and although Swansea keeper Vorm got a hand to the striker's low effort, he could not keep it out.
Swansea responded as Angel Rangel blazed high and wide after Dyer's neat dummy, while Joe Allen shot straight at Tim Krul.
But Newcastle's threat was clear to see as Hatem Ben Arfa released Ba, but Steven Caulker got back to make a sharp block.
Newcastle were content to sit back on their lead, allowing Swansea to dominate possession, and one extended incisive passing movement ended with Krul beating away a powerful Sigurdsson drive.
Caulker headed over the bar from the resulting corner before Mike Williamson became the first man in the book after a crude challenge from behind on Luke Moore.
Krul held Sigurdsson's long-distance effort from the ensuing free-kick and James Perch blocked another strike from the dangerous Iceland international late in the first half, with Newcastle struggling to get out of their own territory.
Pardew introduced Ryan Taylor at the interval in place of midfield anchor Cheick Tiote and his side came close to conceding an equaliser inside 60 seconds.
Dyer twisted and turned on the edge of the area to again tee up Sigurdsson, whose low shot was deflected just wide of Krul's left-hand post.
Swansea piled the pressure on and Krul was helped by a slice of fortune as Allen's drive flicked off Williamson, struck the keeper and flew away to safety.
Newcastle then lost Ba after the forward appeared to pick up an ankle injury, with Shane Ferguson his replacement.
But the visitors reminded their hosts that they were still a threat as Ben Arfa led a smart breakout that saw Cisse drag an effort just wide of goal.
Needing to find a spark, Rodgers summoned Graham and Sinclair for Dyer and Moore as his side's search for an equaliser intensified.
But, having failed to heed the earlier warning, they fell further behind in the 69th minute as Cabaye again combined with Cisse, with the striker delicately lofting the ball over Vorm into the far corner while off balance.
Swansea's frustration increased as Graham failed to pull the trigger after Sigurdsson had picked the forward out, before the on-loan midfielder could not hit the target from distance.
Rangel then headed wide to sum up their day.