Manchester City kept their Premier League title hopes alive on New Year's Day as they earned a 3-2 victory over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

Fernandinho put the visitors in front when he found the net in the 14th minute, but Wilfried Bony got Swansea level on the stroke of half time.

Goals from Yaya Toure and Aleksandar Kolarov then gave the Blues a comfortable two-goal cushion midway through the second half before Bony pulled one back for the hosts deep in added time.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the two teams in South Wales.

Match statistics:

Swansea:
Shots 15
On target 4
Possession 52%
Corners 8
Fouls 5

Man City:
Shots 14
On target 4
Possession 48%
Corners 6
Fouls 10

Was the result fair?

Manchester City came away from the Liberty Stadium as deserved winners thanks to a dominant display in all areas of the pitch. Swansea did well to make their opponents work for the victory, but they did not do enough to seriously challenge the Blues throughout the 90 minutes.

Swansea's performance

Swansea boss Michael Laudrup can take plenty of positives from his team's performance as they showed good attacking instincts with some fluid counter-attacking football. However, some poor finishing and decision-making in the final third played a big part in their downfall. Only four of their 15 shots were on target, while key passes high up the pitch were badly executed, allowing Man City to regain possession. More worrying for Laudrup are the defensive frailties that are clearly evident at the back. There was a lack of organisation for much of the match which gave the visitors a lot of opportunities to extend their advantage. They will need to tighten up if they are to avoid getting sucked into a relegation battle.

Man City's performance

This was not the devastating Manchester City that we have become used to seeing in recent weeks, but they did enough to leave South Wales with three points. There were one or two shaky moments in defence, though they made up for that by controlling the midfield thanks to the graft of Yaya Toure and Fernandinho. There was plenty of joy for Jesus Navas and Samir Nasri in wide positions, while Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo proved troublesome for the Swansea backline. Considering that their away form has been poor this season, Manuel Pellegrini is sure to be happy with his team's solid showing.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Yaya Toure: The Manchester City midfielder was his usual marauding self as he covered every blade of grass with enthusiasm and energy. His goal to put the visitors back in front was a vital turning point in the match.

Biggest gaffe

Joe Hart almost cost the away side when he flapped at a corner before Ashley Williams poked the ball narrowly wide from close range. The goalkeeper was barely worked during the game, but this was a reminder that he is still capable of producing nightmare moments.

Referee performance

While there has been a lot of negative focus on officials over the festive period, Phil Dowd gave a respectable display in the middle at the Liberty Stadium. One or two of the bookings that he handed out were on the harsh side, but he remained in control throughout.

What next?

Swansea: The Swans return to action on Sunday when they travel to Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.

Man City: The Blues get their FA Cup campaign underway on Saturday with a trip to Blackburn Rovers in the third round.