Mancini backs City to recover from Stoke setback

Roberto Mancini insists his Manchester City stars will bounce back from their frustrating 1-1 draw against Stoke when they face SV Salzburg and Bolton.

There was a strong whiff of disappointment in the air at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday after City spurned the chance to grab a second away league win in six days by conceding an injury-time equaliser to Stoke.

Worse still for Mancini, he learned title rivals Manchester United had moved five points clear of City after drubbing Blackburn 7-1.

However, the Italian refused to concede Matthew Etherington’s equaliser, in the second of three minutes of injury time, would do any long-term damage to his side’s title ambitions

City have a chance to get back on track against Salzburg in the Europa League on Wednesday before Bolton visit Eastlands next weekend.

Mancini said: “It was a tough test for us because Stoke play long ball, long ball, long ball.

“But I’m happy because my team played good football and that was very difficult here. In the second-half particularly I thought we played very well.

“The season is very long and every game is very difficult for each team.”

Stoke boss Tony Pulis refused to be goaded by Mancini’s remarks about his side’s tactics and maintained that his team, now unbeaten in four league games, deserved at least a draw.

Pulis said: “He’s entitled to his opinion and his view. He’s allowed to say what he wants. That’s what this country is built on, freedom of opinion.

“I’ll leave it to other people and our supporters to judge. We played well against Liverpool two weeks ago and we played really well today against City.

“You can all have the money in the world and the top players but if a team is going out there and playing like a team it takes a lot of beating whoever the opposition is.

“At the end of the first-half we were desperately disappointed that we had not come in ahead.

“When you are playing against one of the best teams in the league and you have those chances you have to put them away. The final pass and finish have to be better to get the results we want.”

Micah Richards was poised to be City’s unlikely hero after he scored his first league goal since last January nine minutes from time.

James Milner played the ball into Richards and he left Danny Collins for dead with an audacious dummy then drilled his shot low into the corner of the net from 15 yards.

It looked like it would be enough, until Etherington burst through on to Tuncay’s back-heel in the second minute of injury-time to beat Joe Hart.

Stoke had gone desperately close to taking a 77th minute lead when Kenwyne Jones tried to bundle a shot home, but the ball was cleared off the line by Milner.