Manuel Pellegrini believes Manchester City have proved their doubters
wrong after making it into the last-16 of the Champions League and going
level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.
Three weeks ago, City were bottom of their Champions League group and
were nine points behind Chelsea but a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace
extended their winning run to eight games and wiped out their deficit to
Jose Mourinho's team.
Pellegrini believes his side have produced the response of champions,
telling a postmatch news conference: "Maybe nobody believed one or two
months ago we can continue in the Champions League and can be involved
in the fight in the title.
"But we always trust in what we do and the way we work every day and
that is why I am so happy the squad demonstrates why we won the title
last year."
Pellegrini hailed his players for winning without three strikers and
their captain, saying: "Without Sergio, without Dzeko, without Jovetic,
without [Vincent] Kompany, I think that other players are having their
moments and they are having an important answer in the way David did."
