Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna has praised teammate Yaya Toure for his ability to make an impact during games.

City claimed a comeback 2-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday and midfielder Toure was the catalyst in helping the Citizens to the victory after scoring a stunning equalizer.

Sagna has now stated that Toure still remains one of the best players in the City side and has hailed the Ivorian's ability to influence matches when other leaders are absent.

Sagna said: "He is a very important player for us.

"He is our captain while (Vincent) Kompany is away, and he scored a great goal – he also scored against Sunderland and Arsenal.

"Of course he will get criticism because two seasons ago he scored 20 to 25 goals and people are expecting him to do the same. He is very important in our system. He can't be on top and score in every single game. But he did it at Watford and has been doing that in the last few games.

"He is not the only one. Last season when we were not performing he was the main target, and it isn't fair because before that he had a great season and gave a lot to the team. We win as a team and lose as a team."