Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony equalised with a well-placed header in first-half stoppage time, but his international colleague Yaya Toure restored the visitors' lead with a deflected shot in the 58th minute.

City's Serbian left-back Aleksandar Kolarov added a third eight minutes later, lashing a powerful strike past Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel, before Bony struck again in injury time with a vicious low shot.

Victory took Manuel Pellegrini's side to 44 points from 20 games, one point behind Arsenal. Chelsea stayed hot on their heels with a 3-0 win at Southampton.

"It was a very good result because Swansea are a strong team here at home and also away," Pellegrini said. "I think the way we won today is very important for us."

"The character of the team in the second half to go and score another goal [after Swansea equalised] was very important. You must not only play good football, you must have the character to try to recover when these things happen.

"It is satisfying because in the Premier League the last four games we play away, we have won three and drawn one, we must continue in the same way."

Manchester City, who have now recorded back-to-back away league wins for the first time this season, have taken 25 points from their last 27 and scored 57 goals in the opening 20 games to lay down a marker in the congested tussle at the top of the table.

Swansea's home form has been their Achilles heel this season, having recorded only two wins at the Liberty Stadium, and coming into the game memories were still fresh of their 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture last month.

Injuries to key players Michu, Michel Vorm and Nathan Dyer did not help their cause against the league's most impressive array of talent.

"I think once again the performance was good, especially in the first half, but if you concede three goals to an opponent like Manchester City, it is very unlikely you will get anything from the match," Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup said.

Fernando Torres became the first Chelsea striker to score a league away goal in 13 months as they maintained their title push and Christmas Day leaders Liverpool regained a top-four spot as Luis Suarez netted for the 20th time this season in their 2-0 win at home to Hull City.

A Leighton Baines penalty in stoppage time rescued a 1-1 draw at Stoke City for Everton, who dropped to fifth, and Newcastle United stumbled in a 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion. At the other end of the table, Fulham edged 10-man West Ham United 2-1 and the east London side stayed second from bottom as Sunderland remain rooted to the foot of the table after losing 1-0 at home to Aston Villa.

Crystal Palace are 18th after a 1-1 draw with 15th-placed Norwich City.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks set to take over as manager at Cardiff. Solskjaer, the hot favourite to succeed Malky Mackay, sat alongside controversial owner Vincent Tan at the Emirates Stadium during last night's game and was seen to be chatting and laughing.

Norwegian media earlier reported that Solskjaer had flown from Kvernberget airport in Kristiansund, close to his home, in a Malaysian-registered private jet.

Citing sources close to the board of Norwegian club Molde, where Solskjaer has been manager for the past three seasons, TV2 reported that negotiations were at an advanced stage and that he was due to take over before Saturday's FA Cup tie against Newcastle United.

Solskjaer has won two league titles and the Norwegian cup since taking over at Molde.

Mackay was sacked on December 27, seven months after winning promotion to the Premier League.