Roberto Mancini was relieved to see a much-changed Manchester City side see off West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium.
The Italian made eight changes from the side that drew with Swansea City on Saturday, but the rotation did not prevent City from claiming all three points.
And, despite witnessing his side miss a handful of chances, Mancini was pleased to see the Citizens secure a top four spot.
“It was a difficult game because we changed a lot of players but it was important for us to win the game,” he said.
“After 10 minutes we started to play better and we missed five incredible chances to score which made it difficult for us in the second half.”
Carlos Tevez struck the post after half an hour, before the Argentine crossed for Edin Dzeko to sweep home and give City the lead on 35 minutes.
James Milner rattled the woodwork from 25 yards shortly before the break and Markus Rosenberg did the same for the Baggies five minutes into the second half.
And Joe Hart preserved City’s lead after an hour, diving at full stretch to turn James Morrison’s 25-yard effort around the post.
Mancini will now turn his attention to Saturday’s FA Cup final with Wigan Athletic, who saw their survival hopes dented tonight with defeat to Swansea.
The 48-year-old had warned that the West Brom clash was a distraction ahead of the Wembley showpiece and will be pleased to have overcome the obstacle.
Image courtesy of BBC Sport, via YouTube, with thanks.
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