Demba Ba struck another priceless goal following his Champions League heroics to keep Chelsea firmly in the Barclays Premier League title race.

Ba's 68th-minute strike finally broke 10-man Swansea's Liberty Stadium resistance for a 1-0 win that leaves Chelsea two points behind leaders Liverpool with four games remaining.

And it followed the winner he struck against Paris St Germain five days ago that booked the Blues' place in this season's Champions League semi-finals.

Chelsea, who visit Anfield in a fortnight's time, were made to sweat and toil by the Swans following Chico Flores' 17th-minute sending off.

Flores was dismissed on receipt of a second yellow card - his cautions came just over two minutes apart - but Swansea scrapped for everything before Ba struck and left Garry Monk's men just three points above the relegation zone.

Much of Chelsea's performance was hesitant, especially in attack, but Ba ultimately came up trumps when it really mattered - as he did at Stamford Bridge to dump PSG out of Europe on away goals - and it keeps the heat on Liverpool.

Swansea, in contrast, head to Newcastle next Saturday, knowing they are far from safe, especially following a weekend when two of the clubs below them - Fulham and Cardiff - both won.

Mourinho made five changes from the side that took on PSG, handing starts to Ba, Nemanja Matic, Ramires, Mohamad Salah and Andre Schurrle.

Swansea showed two switches from the side beaten 1-0 at Hull last weekend, with Nathan Dyer and Pablo Hernandez both starting. Jonathan De Guzman and Michu dropped out, with no place for Michu among the substitutes either.

A fast opening saw Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech save low down from Hernandez, before Salah missed a golden sixth-minute opportunity for the visitors when he side-footed wide from inside the penalty area.

Swansea enjoyed the lion's share of territory, and Cech was called on again to deflect a Bony header over the bar before Flores became an unwanted centre of attention.

And then Cech was forced into action, turning a powerful Dyer shot around his left-hand post as Swansea continue to be unfazed by the challenge they faced.