SEASON REVIEW: Part two

Following the club's League Cup exit at Liverpool, Monk's men fought to a hard-earned 0-0 draw at Everton on their return to action, before coming from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Liberty.

In an enthralling encounter in SA1, the Swans climbed to fifth in the top flight after Sigurdsson's stunning free-kick and a Gomis header cancelled out Alexis Sanchez's opener for the Gunners.

The high-flying Swans were then unfortunate to suffer a narrow 2-1 defeat at champions Manchester City, before being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace as Bony struck his seventh goal in as many games with a fine finish past Eagles stopper Julian Speroni.

The Swans kicked off the busy festive period in style with a comfortable 2-0 win over QPR at the Liberty, courtesy of goals from Ki Sung-Yueng and Wayne Routledge.

Back-to-back defeats to London sides West Ham United (3-1) and Tottenham Hotspur (2-1) followed, before a 1-0 win at Hull City got the Swans in the party mood, while they kept up the Christmas spirit by seeing off Aston Villa 1-0 in their Boxing Day clash at the Liberty.

But Monk's men ended 2014 on a sour note as they suffered a 4-1 defeat at Liverpool, despite Sigurdsson's fifth goal of the season.

2015 was welcomed by yet more brilliance from the in-form Bony, who came off the bench to claim a last-gasp point for the ten-man Swans as they held QPR to a 1-1 draw on New Year's Day, before Monk's men began their FA Cup campaign with a thrilling 6-2 win at League Two side Tranmere Rovers on January 3.

A Mark Noble own goal then earned Swansea a point at home to West Ham, before they endured a humbling 5-0 defeat at home to league leaders Chelsea, prior to bowing out of the FA Cup following a 3-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers.

The end of the month saw the departure of Ivory Coast international striker Wilfried Bony, who joined Manchester City for a club-record fee, while Monk strengthened the Swansea ranks with the acquisitions of Jack Cork, Kyle Naughton, Matt Grimes and the loan addition of Nelson Oliveira.

Under the watchful eye of new addition Cork, the Swans inflicted a 1-0 defeat upon the English midfielder's former club Southampton, thanks to a stunning strike by Jonjo Shelvey, before the ex-Burnley man made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland at the Liberty.

After a disappointing 2-0 defeat at West Brom, the Swans bounced back to victory in sensational style with a historic 2-1 victory over Manchester United - the club's first ever league double over the 20-time top flight champions.

Monk's side came from behind to earn a deserved win, thanks to goals from Ki Sung-Yueng and Gomis after Ander Herrera's 20th-minute opener.

Buoyed by their memorable win over the Red Devils, the Swans secured a hard-fought 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Burnley to reach the 40-point mark in record time.