Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini singled midfielder Yaya Toure out for praise following Saturday’s 2-1 win over Swansea.
City appeared to be heading for a draw at the Etihad Stadium until Toure’s stoppage time effort took a wicked deflection off Kelechi Iheanacho, beating Swans keeper Lukasz Fabianski to seal a 2-1 victory.
Pellegrini admits his side were perhaps lucky to take all three points and highlighted Toure as City’s key man.
“I think Yaya was one of the best players in this game. In the first half and the second he was the player who tried to create different things,” he is quoted as saying by ESPN.
“He has just come back in from an injury to his calf and he played the whole game in the Champions League [a 4-2 win against Borussia Monchengladbach] and the whole game today. The goal was a reward.
“But the most important thing is we won. It doesn’t matter if it is Yaya’s goal or Kelechi’s goal.”
The result moved City back to the top of the table but they could slip as low as third depending on how the remaining fixtures play out this weekend.
City were without key men Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany for the visit of the Swans but the duo are close to returns.
Aguero could be involved against Arsenal a week on Monday in what could well be a crucial fixture in the title race, but Kompany is not expected to make a return for the trip to north London.
City are 2.70 to beat Arsenal in the next round of Premier League fixtures and 2.20 to win the Champions League outright.
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