Scoring touch returns as changes pay dividends
when Carroll again knitted passes together in quick succession and Celina and Martin Olsson drove play down the left. The cross was deep but found James, whose low shot was saved by David Raya.
But Swansea fell behind in the 26th minute as Adam Armstrong and Amari’i Bell stretched them down the left, with the latter being felled as he skipped inside Naughton in the area.
There were no complaints and Mulgrew confidently beat Kristoffer Nordfeldt from the spot to put the visitors ahead.
Potter had started Swansea in a 4-3-3 but now reverted to 4-2-3-1, dropping Naughton to full-back, pushing Roberts further on and moving Celina into a central area.
Swansea had a few promising moments from that point, with Olsson, James and Celina having some joy down the left, but they could not find a final product and there were a smattering of boos as the players headed off at the break.
Potter sent on Fulton and Leroy Fer for Carroll and Olsson – the latter arguably unfortunate to be hooked – as Grimes dropped to left back and there was an immediate and noticeable difference.
Fulton lifted the tempo and put himself about in the midfield melee and helped bring the crowd into the occasion with his busy, bustling approach.
Finally there was some impetus and thrust to Swansea’s play. Fulton fed James, who accelerated to the edge of the box and saw a shot blocked.
On the other flank Naughton’s astute pull-back found Celina, only for the Kosovo international to blaze over when he should have done better. So much of the good work was coming through Fulton and his intervention would prove to be the key turning point.
The Scot found space in the 64th minute and opted to take on a shot, as he had done in stoppage time at Villa.
This time the shot beat Raya and clattered the post, with the ball striking the keeper’s back and being escorted across the line by Oli McBurnie.
Swansea were buzzing and four minutes later they led.
James did superbly as he drove out of his own half and calmly fed Roberts, whose classy movement and left-footed finish was every bit as good as his colleague’s perfectlyweighted pass.
The hosts were simply unrecognisable from the opening 45 minutes and they threatened to extend their lead.
James racing onto a Celina pass to hit the outside of the post, before the young winger then clipped the face of the bar from an acute angle.
But there were still alarms at the other end, with Naughton’s nonchalant flick only setting up Dack, with Nordfeldt making a terrific save low to his left.
It proved crucial as Swansea immediately countered with Fer driving through the midfield for Celina to dink the ball into the far corner and seal the three points.