Goals from Anis Mehmeti, Ivan Azon and George Hirst saw Town to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Swansea City at Portman Road. Mehmeti gave the Blues the lead with his first home goal in the third minute, Azon made it 2-0 four minutes before the break, then Hirst sealed it five minutes after coming off the bench in the 74th minute.

Town made three changes from the team which won 2-0 at Watford on Tuesday with Leif Davis, Mehmeti and Wes Burns returning to the side.

Davis replaced Jacob Greaves at left-back having missed the trip to Vicarage Road with a knock, Burns was wide on the right for Sindre Walle Egeli and Mehmeti was on the left for Jack Clarke with the trio dropping out all on the bench.

Dan Neil made his home debut in the centre of midfield having made four appearances away, while Azon started as the number nine for the fifth Championship game running.

Swansea made five changes from the team which drew 1-1 at home to Preston in midweek with 16-goal Championship top scorer Zan Vipotnik, Jay Fulton, Goncalo Franco, Ronald and Leo Walta dropping to the bench.

New Zealand international midfielder Marko Stamenic returned to the XI following suspension, while another midfielder, Malick Yalcouye, and forwards Gustavo Nunes and Melker Widell also came into the side, along with Liam Cullen, operating as the lone striker.

Former Blues central defender Cameron Burgess, who scored two own goals in the Blues’ 4-1 win in South Wales earlier in the season, started at the back.

Town started strongly, winning a corner after only seven seconds which was cleared from the edge of the six-yard box.

But Blues supporters didn’t have to wait too much longer for the first goal of the afternoon.

In the third minute, Mehmeti played in the overlapping Davis on the left, the full-back’s low cross was stabbed out unconvincingly by Swans skipper Ben Cabango and Mehmeti smashed into the top corner of the net, Lawrence Vigouroux diving forlornly away to his left.

It was the Albanian international’s second goal in two starts for the Blues and first at home since joining the club, as well as his 11th of the season in all competitions for Town and Bristol City.

Swansea had the ball in the net in the 11th minute, Gustavo Nunes turning home a low cross from Widell, who had strayed offside with the linesman’s flag having quickly been raised.

Four minutes later, after a Darnell Furlong long throw had been half-cleared, Neil struck a low shot through a crowd of players from the edge of the box but too close to Vigouroux.

In the 19th minute, Kipre played a superb ball one side of Ethan Galbraith for Davis to chase down the other, but the full-back’s pass inside was intercepted.

On 25, Jisung Eom played a free-kick from not far outside the area on the right inside to Galbraith, but the Northern Irishman, who played for Blues boss Kieran McKenna in the Manchester United academy, blazed deep into the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.

Azon came close to making it 2-0 in the 33rd minute, the Spaniard, who scored his first goal for the club at Swansea in November, nodding back towards goal from beyond the far post but Vigouroux did well to keep it out.

Three minutes later, a Mehmeti shot after a swift Town break was blocked, then on 38 Nunez fed in Furlong on the right but the full-back’s low ball was too close to Vigouroux, who claimed. A minute later, Mehmeti was booked for a foul on Yalcouye.

Widell shot across the face and well wide for the Swans as the half moved towards its final five minutes.

But the first period had been virtually all Town and in the 41st minute, they went 2-0 in front.

Mehmeti played a clever ball to Davis in the corner on the left, the full-back then passing between two defenders into the box for Azon, who stroked his fourth goal of the season - and second against Swansea - across Vigouroux and inside the far post.

Just before the whistle at the end of an additional minute, Yalcouye exchanged passes with Cullen before hitting a shot which Christian Walton, untested up to that stage, was forced to bat away to his left.

The Blues fully deserved their two-goal lead at the break having been very much the better side from the off, winning a corner in the early seconds and then scoring through Mehmeti, excelling in a narrow left-sided role, on three.

Town had chances to increase their lead before Mehmeti and Davis, getting forward in wider areas more often with Mehmeti ahead of him, created the second, which the improving Azon finished clinically.

Swansea, who had come to play football rather than shutting up shop, although the early goal would have in any case forced their hand, had threatened little aside from the offside goal and late shot and from here the Blues should see out the three points.

Cullen struck the second half’s first effort for the Swans, but Walton was able to palm away his effort from distance with ease.

On 54, Yalcouye brought the ball in from the right unchallenged before screwing his shot well wide. Ahead of the restart, the Swans made a triple change, Yalcouye, Eom and Cullen making way for Franco, Ronald and Vipotnik.

Swansea claimed a penalty in the 59th minute when Widell went to ground as he and Kipre chased a ball into the right of the area, but referee Anthony Backhouse correctly indicated he felt there was nothing in it.

Town made their first changes of the afternoon in the 61st minute, Neil, very influential as he was at Watford, and Nunez making way for Jack Taylor and Jack Clarke, who took up his usual left-sided position with Mehmeti going into the middle.

The Swans were seeing more of the ball in the second half but with Town happy to let them, then look for opportunities on the break, although without having been able to make the most of counter-attacks.

On 69, Azon, who was given a warm ovation as he left the field, and Burns made way for Hirst and Kasey McAteer.

And five minutes after the changes, the Blues made it 3-0, their substitutions once more having reinvigorated their display.

Mehmeti won the ball off Josh Tymon in the area to the right of goal and sent over a low cross which Hirst swept across Vigouroux and inside the far post.

Hirst, who scored three minutes after coming on at Watford on Tuesday, delightedly celebrated his eighth goal of the season in front of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.

With the game effectively over, Swansea replaced Nunes and Widell with Walta and Joel Ward in the 76th minute.

Scotland international Hirst thought he’d scored a second in the 80th minute when Mehmeti floated a cross from the right to the far post and he headed back across Vigouroux, but the Chilean international brilliantly pawed it beyond his left post.

On 82, Vipotnik played in Stamenic on the left of the area, the New Zealander colliding with Walton as the keeper came out to block with skipper O’Shea having been tugging at his shirt. The ball ran loose but was cleared.

Moments later, Walta shot only just over Walton’s crossbar, before the Blues swapped the again excellent Matusiwa for Jens Cajuste.

In the 87th minute, Galbraith tried his luck from 25 yards out to the right but the ball sailed into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.

Vipotnik smashed a 25-yard free-kick off the Town crossbar seconds from the end but the Blues weren’t to be denied their victory or a second clean sheet in five days.

A thoroughly deserved win - and second double of the season - with Town in charge throughout against a Swans side which came to play unlike a lot of other sides this season but were always second best.

Having gained their 2-0 lead in the first half, the Blues looked to sit on their lead and pick Swansea off in the second but with little success until the substitutions with the third goal coming very soon afterwards.

The win sees the Blues remain fourth with Millwall in third having won 2-0 at Preston and Hull City in fifth having beaten Portsmouth at Fratton Park 1-0. Second-placed Middlesbrough are at Birmingham on Monday, while leaders Coventry won 2-1 at Stoke.

Town are 11 points behind the Sky Blues with two games in hand, three off Boro with one in hand and two from the Lions, also with two matches in hand.

The Tigers, who visit Portman Road on Tuesday, are on the same points as Town but with a worse goal difference having played a game more.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa, Neil (Taylor 61), Burns (McAteer 69), Nunez (Clarke 61), Mehmeti, Azon (Hirst 69). Unused: Palmer, Walle Egeli, Cajuste, Greaves, Akpom.

Swansea City: Vigouroux, Galbraith, Cabango (c), Burgess, Tymon, Stamenic, Yalcouye (Franco 54), Nunes (Walta 76), Widell (Ward 76), Eom (Ronald 54), Cullen (Vipotnik 54). Unused: Fisher, Key, Fulton, Samuels-Smith. Referee: Anthony Backhouse (Cumbria). Att: 27,594.

Photo: Matchday Images