James Milner and Wilfried Bony were also on target in a see-saw battle at The Liberty Stadium that had seen the hosts fight back from two goals down at one stage, but the Blues responded superbly – with Joe Hart outstanding throughout – to secure a top three finish.
Both teams came into the game on the back of four successive Premier League victories and equally keen to end the campaign on something of a high.
Swansea, who have added a touch of steel to their silky football under the tutelage of Garry Monk, still had the merest sniff of sneaking into a Europa League berth and their 1-0 win at Arsenal last Monday proved they are more than worthy of their aspirations
...Swans 2 City 4...
City, meanwhile were looking to secure the runners-up spot behind champions Chelsea and also guarantee automatic Champions League qualification while maintaining a top-two finish for the fourth season in a row.
Manuel Pellegrini made just one change from the team that beat QPR 6-0 last weekend with Yaya Toure in for Fernando who had presumably picked up a knock in training but there was no place in the starting line-up for former Swans favourite Bony who had to make do with a place on the bench.
Swansea started brightly with crisp passing and fluid movement, but it wasn’t until the 16th minute that the hosts really troubled Joe Hart as Nathan Dyer dispossessed Eliaquim Mangala on the edge of the box only to see his low shot turned around the post by Hart.
Sergio Aguero had the ball in the net moments later, but was flagged offside and replays backed up the assistant referee’s decision. Five minutes later, Fabianski was beaten again - and this time the goal stood.
As City pressed forward, David Silva played a short pass to Yaya Toure who nudged the ball to his right before firing a vicious shot that deflected off Ashley Williams’ shin-pads and into the net for his 50th Premier League goal
...Swans 2 City 4...
And the Blues came close to doubling the lead four minutes later as a sweeping move saw Silva feed Aleks Kolarov whose low cross was inches away from the outstretched leg of Frank Lampard.
In what was proving an open, entertaining affair, City made the most of the space the hosts were allowing them. The speed of the Blues’ counter-attacks was continually putting Swansea on the back foot and on 36 minutes, they were punished again.
Lampard played a superb 40-yard pass out of defence to Aguero who picked up the ball on the left-flank before picking out the overlapping Milner who cut inside Neil Taylor and coolly stroked the ball past Fabianski for his eight of the campaign.
By that point, City were rampant and looking likely to increase the lead before the break, but Swansea clung on and right on the stroke half-time, Gylfi Sigurdsson pulled a goal back with a smart low drive from 20 yards that gave Hart no chance.
Suddenly, the dynamics of the game had shifted.
Jonjo Shelvey tested Hart with a rasping low drive ten minutes after the break, but the England keeper was up to the task, pushing the ball around the post as the chances continued at either end.
Fabianski kept out Silva and Jesus Navas in the space of ten seconds just past the hour as the Blues looked for breathing space again, but within a minute the Swans were level as Richards’ long pass found Bafetimbi Gomis who struck a low drive past Hart.
Silva should have restored City’s lead a couple of minutes later after a well-worked move saw him with just Fabianski to beat, but the former Arsenal stopper again came to his team’s rescue as he beat out the Spaniard’s shot.
Eventually, the Blues’ relentless attacks paid off and it was again Yaya Toure who did the damage, turning on the afterburners and driving forward from midfield before striking a low shot past Fabianski.
Swansea were far from finished however and Federico Fernandez looked to have levelled the scores with eight minutes left but Hart produced perhaps the best save of his career so far with a leap to his left to push the ball over the bar – brilliant hardly does the stop justice
...Swans 2 City 4...
And Hart made another excellent stop minutes later as Gomis powered a header in from point-blank range only to see the City keeper push the ball away again.
With the Swansea players still shaking their heads at Hart’s brilliance, enter Bony for a cameo few minutes in front of an appreciative home crowd and it was fitting that the Ivorian should have the final say with a low shot that hit the inside of the post two minutes into stoppage time to complete a breathless game of football.
That’s five on the bounce for City who have rediscovered their swagger probably just a month too late.
