Hughes Pleased With Tenacity

City won the game by a single goal from Pablo Zabaleta seven minutes into the second half of the match at Eastlands but were forced to play with ten men for almost the remainder of the game after Richard Dunne was sent off on 53 minutes for lashing out at Latics striker Zaki.

"Richard Dunne has held his hands up. He has reacted to a challenge," Hughes said after the match.

"It was the second time Zaki had caught him across the face. He has retaliated, the referee has seen it and we accept it.

"It has been a difficult week preparing the team considering the interest about Kaka around the club, But we really stuck at our task.

"We had to dig in and beat a side that has been in arguably as good form as any recently in the Premier League."