Swansea opened up a four-point lead over the chasing pack in the Championship’s automatic promotion race with a clinical dispatch of Barnsley.
A looping header from Wales international Ben Cabango and slick finish from top scorer Jamal Lowe, his seventh goal in as many matches, put the gloss on another shut-out from Steve Cooper’s team and took full advantage of third-placed Bournemouth’s surprise slip-up to Luton earlier in the day.
It was not just the result but the manner of the performance that suggests the Welsh club are well positioned to complete their quest of a top-flight return at the third attempt.
Since relegation from the Premier League in 2017-18, Swansea have invested in two of English football’s brightest young managerial talents.
If Graham Potter cultivated the shoots of recovery with a stabilising 10th-placed finish the following season, there has undoubtedly been greater growth under the former England Under-17 boss Cooper.
Play-off participation last July had been followed by elevation into the top two by time the second half of their campaign kicked off in South Yorkshire on Saturday night.
Sustained success has been forged on Cooper’s insistence on discipline out of possession: their 13 goals conceded the most miserly at the Championship’s mid-point for five years.
This was their seventh clean sheet in nine league outings, with Marc Guehi and Cabango - both 20, and loaned from Chelsea and picked up from Welsh Premier League leaders The New Saints respectively - reassuring presences beyond their years in central defence.
Behind them, Freddie Woodman was well protected at Oakwell throughout despite an aggressive pressing game from a Barnsley side transformed from relegation favourites to potential play-off contenders under Valerien Ismael.
Barnsley dominated the limited opportunities of a fiercely-contested first half.
Victor Adeboyejo failed to capitalise on the one slip by the visitors in the 11th minute when he reacted to Cabango losing his footing with a thrash over the top from 20 yards.
Adeboyejo did hit the target soon afterwards but Woodman got his angles right and parried around his post at the expense of a corner, while Callum Styles’ low strike from the edge of the area proved too central.
In contrast, Swansea found the net with their first effort on target in first-half injury time as Cabango stole to the front of a posse of players six yards out to guide Connor Roberts' throw across goal and into the top corner.
And they sealed victory eight minutes after the break when Lowe seized upon a comical mix-up between Barnsley centre-backs Mads Andersen and Michal Helik to slot under the advancing Jack Walton for his ninth goal of the season.
If Barnsley needed confirmation their endeavours were going to go unrewarded it came when a flying Woodman tipped over a 25-yard piledriver from Callum Brittain that flew through an emptying penalty area following a corner.