Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says their defending has been key to the team's amazing goalscoring exploits this season.

He has such confidence in the attacking talent of his players, he regards winning the ball off the opposition quickly as a priority. He figures if City can do that, it's a formality that David Silva can create chances or his quartet of strikers can finish them off.

"We go out every week with the mentality of working well with and without the ball," stresses the City manager.

"It's not just about attacking. Maybe we've been attacking well because we have possession of the ball. And to have a lot of the ball, you must press a lot and also be good defending.

"The first 45 minutes against Tottenham was a complete performance for me because we touched the ball quickly, we didn't give them time and space when they had they had the ball at their feet."