VMC's Some Might Say: To The Power Of Ten

Not for the first time this season, the English champions won a match on the road when down to 10 men for the majority of the game. Post match reaction to a pulsating clash at Norwich...

Roberto Mancini:
'We fight for every game. The guys were fantastic. For me I think that we played fantastic football for 25 minutes and we deserved to score three or four goals. After the sending off for Samir Nasri, with ten men it was difficult...we continued to play but I don't know what he got the red card for. I don't know what the linesman saw. The linesman was very close but I don't know, we saw the video - both players touch each other's heads, it was nothing.

'Edin did very well today, he scored two or three goals. Clearly if the strikers score, itis easy. We decided to play Edin in the last three days because now we play three or four games in ten days, we need all of our players to be fresh.

'It is not important to look at the table because it's not final but we need only to work, to win and then maybe we'll look again at the table in February.'

Chris Hughton:
'We conceded poor goals but Manchester City showed the quality they have got. They have spent a vast amount of money on quality finishers but you cannot expect to be 2-0 down and have a good day. At 4-3 we showed a lot of character and it felt like one of those which might end up going our way. At 2-1 we needed to keep it at that score for longer. I can't fault the character and the endeavour.

'On the sending off, there was certainly a coming together of heads and certainly a movement from Nasri. Whether that was enough to have a sending off I don't know. The referee obviously thought it was. Although there was a coming together, certainly from Seb there was no movement. They are decisions that a linesman can see better at the time. Was it harsh? Maybe a little and in the spirit of the game, there wasn't too many bad challenges.

'Roberto Mancini has done great at City. People talk about the money they spend and they have spent a vast amount of money but it's a different type of management. It's all right getting these players in but you've got to be able to manage those type of players. He's given Manchester City their first league title for however many years so he has done a super job.'

Edin Dzeko:
'It was harder in the second half with one player less...but we fight from the first to the last minute and we deserved these three points...We did it once before against West Brom, we played with ten men for 50 or 60 minutes. We did well and we did it again today. It was hard but we worked hard.

'There is still a lot of games to play, we lost the last game against Sunderland and we were unlucky, we couldn't find the goal but today we fought from the first to the 90th minute. Everyone wants to play and I was back today and I gave the maximum.

'I do not know how the third goal cannot be mine. Of course I will claim it. It's my goal and it has to be like that!'

CITY ON TWATTER:

Vincent Kompany:
'Wowzers! What a game! Unlucky with some of the decisions but this game was everything the Premier League is about. Great game! #MCFC'

Kun Aguero:
'Goals came back to us today and it matters. We have a great team and make no mistake. We'll proudly defend our title.'

JOEY BARTON ON TWATTER:

'Nasri missed his headbutt. Sums his form up at the minute...'

UPCOMING FIXTURES:
all times East Manchester

Tu 01Jan 15h00 Stoke, The Etihad, PL
Sa 05 Jan 15h00 Watford, The Etihad, FAC
Su 13Jan 16h00 Arsenal, The Emirates, PL
Sa 19Jan 15h00 Fulham, The Etihad, PL
Tu 29Jan 19h45 QPR, Loftus Road

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