Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson hailed skipper Richard Dunne after their 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

"I don't know if it was Richard's best performance for Manchester City but it was an extremely good one," said Eriksson.

"He is a good player and our captain and he showed the way forward."

With Micah Richards providing able assistance to his central defensive partner, Dunne marshalled City towards a point which keeps them just one adrift of Liverpool in the battle for fourth, while leaving the Merseysiders 10 behind new leaders Arsenal.

Unlike former team-mate Joey Barton, who lurches from one crisis to another, Dunne has learned from the mistakes he made under former manager Kevin Keegan and, according to Eriksson, is now a model professional.

"He is a very important member of our dressing room," said the former England manager.

"He has been here for a long time and it is good to have someone like that around the club.

"Not only is he a good footballer, he is a very sensible person, which is what you require from a captain."