MANCINI THANKS LUCK

The Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said that the team was extremely lucky in the 2-0 win over Wigan in the midweek action.

Manchester City needed a win from this match in order to at least stay in touch with Manchester United if not overtake them in the title race. They managed to take all three points from this match after goals from James Milner and Mario Balotelli in the space of 2 min in the second half. Due to the fact that United also managed to win the match, this victory helps City keep in touch with the leaders at the top of the table.

The victory, though, was underserved according to the City manager Roberto Mancini. He saw a side struggle for most of the match, but a tactical change in the second half helped them to get the victory. Wigan were playing with three defenders at the back, compared to the four defenders of City. Mancini has said that the first goal was extremely crucial in the match, as it helped them to immediately secure another goal that won them the three points. It was also a game that saw Mario Balotelli score after a long gap, thus ending his goal drought in the Premier league.

"They play with three defenders, two in the channel, so I wanted to put players in the same position. We changed [formation] but we were lucky because we scored the first goal and the match changed. Every year when we play against Wigan its difficult because they play very well. After the first half I thought we have another 45 minutes and three or four players on the bench that can change the game," said Mancini after the match. City now extend their unbeaten run as a result of this victory.