Cisse hits another double as Newcastle continue winning run

Papiss Cisse has now scored nine goals in eight games

Newcastle maintained their Champions League charge with a gritty 2-0 win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

Two goals from in-form striker Papiss Cisse proved to be enough to hand Newcastle the three points, a result which takes them within two points of fourth place.

Manager Alan Pardew was forced into another reshuffle after Danny Guthrie was ruled out through injury. Jonas Gutierrez was pushed into the midfield three, while Davide Santon came in to fill the hole at left back. The changes failed to hamper Newcastle's progress, as they put in a sterling defensive performance on the way to their fourth successive win.

Swansea enjoyed much of the early going and spurned an early chance when Gylfi Sigurdsson sprayed a strike wide of the post. Newcastle quickly demonstrated their quality as midfielder Yohan Cabaye played a defence splitting pass into the path of Cisse, who fired an expertly placed finish into the bottom corner and past the despairing dive of Swans' keeper Michel Vorm.

The home side continued to dominate both possession and territory but lacked the penetration to cause the Newcastle defence, still missing Captain Fabricio Coloccini, any real problems.

Sigurdsson looked lively throughout and he kept Magpies' stopper Tim Krul on his toes, producing a fierce long range drive that forced the Dutchman into an impressive diving save.

Brendan Rodgers' men started the second half in the same vein that they had finished the first, but still the Swans were unable to find any way through the stern Newcastle backline. Even injury to Cheick Tiote, who was replaced by Ryan Taylor at Half Time after straining his hamstring, did not hinder Newcastle's cause as Pardew's men managed to retain their shape and stymie a Swansea attack that struggled to find any real cutting edge.

Newcastle were almost architects of their own downfall as Taylor's poor clearance enabled Joe Allen to power a drive towards goal that was parried wide by Krul.

The visitors defensive solidity allowed them to be effective on the counter, and it was another superbly weighted from Cabaye that set Cisse on the way for his second. The Senegalese international drifted away from the attentions of defender Ashley Williams before collecting the Frenchman's pass and lobbing a deft finish over the head of Vorm and into the top corner of the net for his ninth goal in eight games.

From then on there was no way back for Swansea, Rodgers threw caution to the wind by bringing on Danny Graham and Scott Sinclair, but a drive into the side netting from Sinclair and a tame free-kick from Sigurdsson was the best they could muster as Newcastle were able to hold on for the win with relative ease.

Credit must go to Newcastle's reshuffled back four, who contained a dangerous team with little difficulty throughout the entire 90 minutes. Cabaye's contribution should not go unnoticed, and Pardew will hope that both he and Tiote - along with Captain Coloccini - will be fit for Monday's clash with struggling Bolton Wanderers. However, the plaudits will rightly go to Cisse, whose phenomenal scoring run continues to keep the Magpies' Champions League dream alive.