City went behind after 32 minutes but two goals in eight minutes from in-form Sergio Aguero turned the game on its head.
On a pitch that Pellegrini had described as “incredible” before the game, his side managed to hold out for a win under very difficult conditions.
“I’m very happy; it was a very difficult game for us,” the City boss declared.
“This pitch made it very difficult to play football – to have three points from this match is very important for our future in this group.
“I wasn’t worried in the minutes leading to their goal – it was an incredible long ball from their goalkeeper and they scored with the only time they arrived into our box at that point.
“Fortunately, Kun immediately levelled the game.
“Both Kun and David Silva are great players - every match they play they show what good players they are.
...Manuel Pellegrini...
“The whole team played with a lot of intensity on what was a very difficult pitch.”
The Chilean revealed that he told his players that avoiding defeat was the priority going into the game at Arena Khimki.
However, his team managed to take all three and put themselves in a great position to qualify for the knockout rounds.
“It’s important, it’s not the last game, it’s very important that we have the next two games at home – we go into them knowing that if we win, we qualify,” he said.
“I told the players before the game that if we do not win, we must not lose this game – we are not in the next round but it’s an important step.”
Tickets are still available for City v CSKA at the Etihad Stadium, which will go a long way to deciding the Sky Blues UCL group fate. They are priced from £33 for Adults and £17.50 for Under 16s.
Purchase online here, or call 0161 444 1894 option 1, option 1, option 2 (tickets purchased over the telephone are subject to a £2.50 booking fee per ticket), or visit the Ticket Office located on the first floor of the Etihad Stadium City Store.
For more details please click here.
