Garry Monk says Swansea City are good enough to mount a serious challenge for the play-offs this season after watching his former side secure yet more derby delight over bitter rivals Cardiff City.
Goals from Ollie Cooper and Michael Obafemi proved enough to seal a third consecutive win over the Bluebirds, a result that lifts them into fourth, just three points off the top of the table.
Monk, a former player and manager, knows exactly what victory in this fixture means to the fans, and says there will be plenty of celebrations on the streets of Swansea on Sunday night.
READ MORE: Swansea City 2-0 Cardiff City: Cooper and Obafemi strikes earn hosts victory over 10-man Bluebirds
Speaking while on punditry duties for Sky Sports, Monk added that the early red card to Callum Robinson was clearly a turning point in the contest.
"It's a good night. I know it'll be lively in the city centre," he said.
"They [Swansea] were dominant. It would have been interesting to see 11 v 11. But from that moment of madness, Swansea totally dominated and were comfortable in the game.
"I don't think Swansea ever looked in any danger, to be honest."
Monk also believes the red card came by way of some gamesmanship by Wales international Ben Cabango, who appeared to nudge Robinson shortly before the Cardiff man reacted by throwing the ball in the defender's face.
"Cabango comes into him and gives him that little nudge," Monk said. "That's allowable. Just to see if there's a reaction there and unfortunately he [Robinson] reacts the wrong way.
"It's the first [red card] of his career, so he's not that type of lad, but in this type of game, the manager will have said time and time again that they want you on the edge of your game competing hard. But you have to stay in control of your emotions and that's what the game's all about.
"He lost his emotions. Clever play from Cabango there.
"But you can't react like that. Simple as that."
The result is Swansea's sixth win in seven games, a run that has left them at the centre of the early jostling for a top six finish, and Monk is in no doubt that his former side are good enough to maintain their challenge.
"They're up in the positions," Monk added. "You think over recent seasons under Steve Cooper they reached the play-offs twice, back-to-back times. I think there's that expectation at this club.
"But it is a club with patience and he's finding that out himself. He's had that patience. They're on a fantastic run right now. We said about them building onto that.
"Once you're in there, people want you to stay there and they want you to stay there and they'll start thinking about it themselves. Are they good enough? Yeah, they are. They'll be delighted with the performance today."
Goalscorer Obafemi, who probably could have had added one or two more goals to his tally for the afternoon, appeared to confirm Swansea's top-six ambitions after the game.
"Anything's possible," he told Sky Sports after the game "We set ourselves a target before the season started and our aim is to get into the play-offs and hopefully promotion.
"Hopefully we continue what we're doing and we'll see where we finish."
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