Manchester City didn't need to be at their best to ease past bottom club Portsmouth 2-0 at Eastlands. City closed the gap on fourth-placed Tottenham with a less than convincing performance and the bonus of two games in hand on their rivals.
The hosts took the lead in the 39th minute when Stephen Ireland's pass found Emmanuel Adebayor, who then scored for 20 yards.
Vincent Kompany doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time with a powerful header from Martin Petrov's corner.
The second half followed the pattern of the first with City looking comfortable but rarely threatening as the game became a scrappy affair.
Carlos Tevez hit the post in the 80th minute with an eight-yard snap shot.
Kolo Toure made his City appearance in a month after African Nations Cup duty and immediately reasserted his side's top-four ambitions.
He told Sky Sports: "We have good players and the determination, we are now working very hard and we have a chance to be in the top four, so why not? Yes, we can, definitely."
Reflecting on the change in temperature, he added: "Yes, it's not that easy to be first in a country where it is 35 degrees and then here where it is minus one or minus two.
"It's a bit difficult, but I'm used to it and I'm a proficient player so I enjoy it."
