CHERRIES racked up two notable achievements by beating Swansea City 2-0 at Vitality Stadium yesterday evening.

Following their 3-0 victory at Liberty Stadium on New Year's Eve, Eddie Howe's side's win here represented the first top-flight 'double' in the club's history.

This win also marked Cherries' first back-to back league victories for more than a year – indeed, Swansea were the victims when Howe's men recorded a third success on the bounce on March 12 last year.

Most relevant at all, Cherries climb to 11th in the Premier League, a healthy nine points clear of the bottom three.

The home team benefited from a slice of luck when Benik Afobe's strike deflected decisively off the unfortunate Alfie Mawson to hand them a 31st-minute advantage – the goal eventually being credited to the hapless Swansea defender.

There was no disputing the scorer, though, when Afobe finished assuredly beyond Lukasz Fabianski with 18 minutes to play to seal a priceless victory.

Cherries assumed a real measure of control over their opponents from the outset – and of chief concern for the possession-hungry Swans would have been the hosts' dominance of the ball.

Joshua King drilled over inside three minutes after one sustained bout of home pressure, while a delicious subsequent move involving Adam Smith, Ryan Fraser and Dan Gosling, bursting forward from midfield, was indicative of the shot in the arm the team's confidence had received from their success over West Ham seven days earlier.

That particular move ended with Gylfi Sigurdsson wearing Gosling's fierce cross flush in the face.

The Icelander, however, quickly recovered to send in a right-wing free-kick that would have ended with the wind taken from Cherries' sails had Mawson kept his glancing header inside the far post, rather than direct it an inch wide.

The early order of service was quickly resumed.

Fraser collected King's pass and shrugged off Tom Carroll, only to drag his shot off target.

When Fraser next found himself in enemy territory the Scot fizzed in a devilish, precise cross, locating Afobe, astutely positioned between Leroy Fer and Federico Fernandez, but wide with his diving header.

Between those two presentable opportunities for the home team, though, had come a sobering reminder of the threat posed by this Swansea outfit.

The approach was all rather rudimentary, Fer arrowing a long throw into the box.

Fernando Llorente applied the flick, which found Sigurdsson in space. The former Tottenham player's normally immaculate technique failed him, however, Sigurdsson ballooning his volleyed effort high into the early evening sky.

He wasted no time rediscovering his radar. Smith conceded a cheap free-kick for tapping at Stephen Kingsley's ankles, leaving Sigurdsson to whip in a spiteful set-piece that King glanced narrowly wide of his own goal.

If he meant it, the Norwegian's judgement was spot on.

Cherries' initial composure had, momentarily, given way to something more edgy altogether.

The resultant corner saw Swansea's vociferous penalty claims go unheeded by referee Mike Dean, the Wirral official – correctly – deciding Marc Pugh could have done nothing to avoid handling Carroll's blistering shot at close range.

And, minutes later, all was right in Cherries' world again.

King, his back to goal, got a toe in ahead of the flat-footed Fernandez to nudge the ball to Pugh.

He promptly fed the ball forward for Afobe, taking Fernandez out of proceedings in the process.

From there, the striker took charge, making the ball his own, despite King's interest in resuming his involvement, and letting go with a low shot that deflected heavily off Mawson to leave Fabianski totally wrong-footed and unable to stop the ball from ending up in the back of his net.

Artur Boruc then sent home hearts aflutter when he needed two goes to grab Kingsley's deep cross – his initial effort at gathering hindered by Steve Cook's presence under the 'keeper's feet.

Cherries' number one was soon attracting the television cameras' gaze for all the right reasons.

Sigurdsson, ominously hitting his straps, unleashed a dipping 25-yard effort that might just have been bound to travel a fraction outside of Boruc's right-hand post.

The Pole couldn't take that chance, however, and dived full-length to tip behind.

Boruc's compatriot Fabianski then easily fielded Smith's strike from a 25-yard free-kick to prevent Cherries from taking a two-goal advantage into the break.

Swansea's football directly after the interval was purposeful and reasonably progressive .

Nevertheless, Paul Clement's team couldn't find the rhythm that is the hallmark of their best work. Consequently, there was no immediate sense of Cherries' slim lead being under threat.

Indeed, Fabianski needed to spring low to his right to tip behind Gosling's strike from distance to prevent the visitors from sustaining further damage on 53 minutes.

The away number one was diving to his opposite side moments later to snaffle a Fraser effort, Fabianski digging himself out of a hole, given it was his woeful pass that had handed Fraser his shooting opportunity.

Fraser was soon chasing back, snapping into tackles - and Cherries' support was finding its voice.

Surman's trip on Carroll, however, caused a sudden, eerie silence to descend over Vitality Stadium.

The infringement occurred on the edge of the box and no team relishes the sight of Sigurdsson sizing up his options against them from that range.

The Swansea player drilling his effort into Cherries' five-man wall, then, was greeted by a palpable wave of relief among those home fans.

That sighter, though, encouraged the visitors to throw off their shackles.

Afobe, still in his own penalty box following a Swans corner, did brilliantly to hack clear with Mawson ready to pounce on Llorente's knockdown.

Then Cook was magnificent in stopping substitute Luciano Narsingh from getting a shot away in the box, before scrambling to his feet to apply a block on the follow up strike from Narsingh's fellow replacement Wayne Routledge.

Cook's stirring feats meant that when Afobe returned to his day job in telling fashion, the striker effectively killed the game.

Gosling started things, snapping in on Cork to win possession.

The midfielder found King, who, in turn, punched his pass into Afobe.

Mawson was undone by the weight of King's delivery and lost his footing as he tried to readjust his body.

Afobe capitalised on the space opening up in front of him to deliver a shot across Fabianski and in off the far post.

As a response to having his first goal pinched off him, it was pretty impressive.

All the while Jack Wilshere had been patiently waiting to join the fray.

And soon after his eventual arrival, in place of Fraser, the midfielder set off on a dribble down the left before lofting the ball towards King at the back post.

His header was true but met with a quite fantastic reaction stop from Fabianski, clawing the ball away down to his left.

Wilshere had a pop at scoring his first Cherries goal in stoppage time with a 20-yard shot but found Fabianski again equal to his task, clutching the ball to his midriff.

It mattered not a jot.

Cherries still have some work to do, but they can breathe far easier than was the case a fortnight ago.

The air is cleaner where they are now.

Cherries (4-4-2): Boruc, A Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Fraser (Wilshere, 75), Gosling, Surman, Pugh (Ibe, 90+4), King (Gradel, 90+2), Afobe.

Unused subs: B Smith, L Cook, Cargill, Allsop (g/k).

Swansea City (4-3-3): Fabianski, Fer, Fernandez, Mawson, Kingsley, Cork, Ki (Routledge, 67), Carroll, Ayew (Narsingh, 56), Llorente (Baston, 83), Sigurdsson.

Unused subs: Amat, Britton, Roberts, Nordfeldt (g/k).

Booked: Ki, Cork.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).