After watching his team dismantle the Black Cats with their biggest win of the season, the Blues’ boss was in ebullient mood after the game.
“It is not easy to beat Sunderland because they are a good side and have a manager who has a lot of experience and knowledge,” he said. “But it’s important we follow up this win by beating Liverpool a week on Monday.
“I am very happy because we got three points, moved above Chelsea and are now just three points behind Arsenal,” he said. “It’s true they both have a game in hand, but this was a good day for us.
“This was an important weekend for us, too – a big weekend will be when we win something – but it was important, nonetheless. I was surprised we won by five goals but I am not complaining!”
Mancini also hailed the return of Adam Johnson and focused performance of Mario Balotelli.
Johnson is a very important player for us and we have missed him because he is the only player in our squad who can play the role he does, so it was good to have him back
...Roberto Mancini
“Mario was much better today, he worked hard for the team, was strong and didn’t get involved with the referee or opposition and concentrated on what he needed to do. He was perfect, but the whole team played very well.”
