Roberto Mancini may have given up on the Premier League title race, but James Milner is convinced Manchester City can still win it.
City closed the gap to 12 points to rivals and table-toppers Manchester United by beating the Red Devils at Old Trafford on Monday night.
And the 27-year-old – man-of-the-match in the derby win – believes the result may have shaken Sir Alex Ferguson’s side’s confidence.
“We know it’s unlikely,” said Milner.
“They’ll still be confident but we’ve done all we can do by beating them – and hopefully we’ve put a bit of doubt in there.
“It could cause a bit of a stumble, and if this rocks them then great.
“I’m sure they were hurt by what happened last year, as great as it was for us it was equally as bad for them.
“Our objective doesn’t change, and that’s to win every game left this season.”
However, the club’s first priority is Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea, as Mancini’s side seek to regain their trophy from 2011.
Milner is confident Monday’s result can drive them onwards to take advantage of Chelsea’s inconsistent form.
He added: “Old Trafford is a tough place to go, but to get a win there is pleasing and we’ve got some real momentum to take into the game on Sunday.
“Chelsea will be tough but they seem to be up and down, they have great spells and low spells.
“We know on their day they are a very strong team but if we play like we did against United I’m sure we’ll get a win and go to another final.
“Winning trophies is a habit we’ve got into in the last couple of years and if we can win the FA Cup this time then it won’t be a bad season.”
Image courtesy of FA TV, via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
