FIRST Wales, then the world. Thanks to the magnificent Papiss Demba Cissé, Newcastle enjoyed a winning foray into foreign lands last night.
Considering the way they are surging towards the Premier League finish line, they can legitimately start to target bigger and better trips next season.
Not that this little South Wales sojourn was entirely unenjoyable, of course.
United had to cede possession for most of the game but the awesome Cissé, once again, delivered a personal masterclass in finishing to make the 650-mile round trip feel more than worthwhile.
It is just three weeks since Alan Pardew said his new striker would take some time to settle, which must be a frightening thought for Premier League defences.
He now has nine goals in his last eight and a remarkable seven in his last four.
And these are not tap-ins we’re talking about, either.
His first on five minutes was a brillaintly instinctive shot that angled past Swans keeper Michael Vorm, but his second was right from the top drawer.
Teed up by Yohan Cabaye, he took one touch before chipping a sumptuous lob over the Swansea shot-stopper to quell any hopes of a Welsh fight-back.
His stellar contribution is a big reason why United are now shooting for the stars.
For while the United boss continues to play it coy on the Champions League, he knows full well that Newcastle are right in the mix for a top-four finish.
And never mind fourth-placed Tottenham – who face a testing trip to Wearside this afternoon – they now have Arsenal and a remarkable third-placed finish in their sights.
It may not have been the barnstorming, free-wheeling and forward-thinking approach that swept aside West Brom, but this was a performance as composed and intelligent as anything Newcastle have produced this season.
For while Swansea had the ball for almost the entire game, Newcastle used it more effectively and with far greater purpose than their hosts.
There was a discipline to their play too – with Swansea simply unable to unpick the orange iron curtain that Pardew had laid out for protege Brendan Rodgers.
Again, Newcastle’s makeshift back four delivered a polished performance, making a mockery of the anxiety that swept Tyneside when thoroughbred Fabricio Coloccini pulled up lame at the Hawthorns the other week.
James Perch might not be as fashionable as the Argentinian but his timing and tackling were first-rate once more.
You can say the same about so many clad in orange, with even Hatem Ben Arfa and Cissé getting through an incredible amount of work to keep the Swans at arm’s length.
It certainly made Swansea’s pretensions look decidedly daft.
They call themselves “Swans-alona” in these parts and Rodgers’ side do like a pass.
The constant churning of the ball between white shirts was a dominant feature of a game that illustrated the best and worst of this South Wales interpretation of Barcelona’s famous tika-taka system.
