Man City find their mojo with Leeds win

Manchester City midfielders Yaya Toure and James Milner said it was important to bounce back from a loss to Southampton in the FA Cup.

Manchester City midfielders Yaya Toure and James Milner said it was important to bounce back from a loss to Southampton in the FA Cup.

City’s 3-1 loss to Southampton during the week saw them slip 12 points behind Manchester United in what may prove an almost fatal blow to their Premiership defence.

But Roberto Mancini’s side responded in fine style with a 4-0 thrashing of Leeds on Sunday to advance to the FA Cup quarter finals.

Toure opened the scoring for Chelsea inside five minutes and the Ivory Coast star believes it was the perfect response to their defeat by Southampton.

“I think (we reacted well), because in the first half we played very well, giving pressure to Leeds,” Toure told ESPN.

“We know (Leeds are) a very tough team, they play very good football and they are physically strong. I think today was a good response from Man City.”

Milner, who earned a start against his former club, echoed the sentiment of his fellow midfielder, insisting that the FA Cup is as important as any other trophy and it was vital to get back to winning ways.

“It’s another trophy,” he said. “We want to win every game we step out on that field, and obviously, like we said before, we knew we needed to improve from last week.

“We did that, kept a clean sheet, which is important as well, and scored four goals, so that’s pleasing.”

Milner came through Leeds’ academy and grew up supporting the Championship club but claimed it had no impact on his performance against his former team.

“Once you get on your field it’s just another game,” he added. “It was a good atmosphere; the travelling fans made a lot of noise and it was a good result for us in the end.”