Man City's two-goal hero Kovacic steps up in absence of Rodri

Kovacic reflected, "It was a challenging match, as expected in the competitive environment of the Premier League."

“There is no easy game in the league. I think we dominated in the beginning and could have scored. We then conceded and then came back quickly.

“In the end we won it. It was a tough game against an opposition in good form, so for us it is good to continue on a winning form. It is never easy to play in the Premier League and today we showed great character. Good game for us.

“The manager told us (midfielders) we should be around the box because we’re always there. Today we pushed.

“Luckily I was there, Bernardo gave me a great ball, in the end it was a good control and a good shot. So it was important as always that we win. It means a lot because my wife is pregnant so it was great to get some goals for the little one.

“It doesn’t matter who scores, the most important are the three points and hopefully now we can continue like this.”

Kovacic also said, “I’m playing at the moment there so I need to cover for Rodri. We miss him a lot, I think any team would miss a player like Rodri.

“We wish him a speedy recovery and that he comes back in good shape as soon as possible. But for now we have to adapt and for sure the manager has a lot of options so we can rotate.

“We play every three days and every game is a tough one. It is not easy and we have to adapt to the schedule. It is what it is. We have to be in top form every day.”