Dzeko has City back in charge of race

IT WAS not pretty and it will certainly not live long in the memory.

But Manchester City are back on course for the title after Edin Dzeko’s first goal for two months helped end his side’s miserable start to the calendar year as Roberto Mancini’s side pulled three points clear of Manchester United ahead of what could be a defining weekend in the race for the championship.

While City entertain third-placed Tottenham, United are at Arsenal on Sunday. Yet City will head into the weekend with confidence restored after putting their winter blues behind them.

Dzeko’s sublime 22nd minute header proved enough to sink the bottom club after Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi had threatened to frustrate the leaders.

Al Habsi produced a string of excellent saves, with David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Dzeko all denied by the Oman international both before and after Dzeko had netted his 14th goal for City this season. .

City boss Roberto Mancini said afterwards: “It was about the victory not the performance tonight.

“It was really important to win tonight. I was nervous when it was still 1-0 but that’s normal, every player and manager is nervous.”

Mancini hopes Dzeko can build on the goal.

He added: “I’m very happy for him because he deserved to score a goal. He scored this very important goal for us and I hope he continues it in the next game.”

Dzeko said: “I could have scored one or two more goals in the end, but I’m happy with the three points because it was a tough game and Wigan played very well.”

Wigan started brightly with Scottish midfielder James McArthur seeing a third minute shot deflected narrowly wide by James Milner while the hosts were also denied a sixth minute penalty.

Martin Atkinson has sent off six players this season but the referee did not want to know when City’s Gareth Barry appeared to lean into Jordi Gomez inside the visitors penalty area.

But Wigan quickly fizzled out and City, captained by Pablo Zabaleta on the Argentinian’s 27th birthday, gradually took command.

Dzeko and Stefan Savic had already directed headers narrowly wide of the target inside the opening 10 minutes before the home side were undone by a simple set-piece midway through the first half, as Dzeko found the net with a superb header after meeting David Silva’s inch-perfect free-kick.

Al Habsi produced a flying world-class save to deny Dzeko a second from 12-yards after 55 minutes before the Oman international frustrated Silva moments later.

Then Sergio Aguero went on a sensational mazy run which had Wigan’s defence chasing shadows. But just when the former Atletico Madrid player looked set to walk the ball into the net, Dzeko spoiled it all by taking the ball off his toe and allowed Al Habsi to make an easy save.

It was one-way traffic.

When Gael Clichy provided a fine 62nd minute low centre into the Wigan penalty area, Wigan defender Gary Caldwell almost steered the ball into his own net while attempting to clear.

Yet while the game remained 1-0 Wigan had a chance and they almost snatched an unlikely point when James McCarthy went close to a 70th minute equaliser.

Not for the first time this season, City manager Mancini was spotted waving an imaginary card in the air when Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa stopped Aguero from going clear on goal by handling the ball.

Figueroa was booked for the incident in the dying moments of the match.

WIGAN ATHLETIC: Al Habsi 8; Stam 6, Caldwell 6, Alcaraz 6, Figueroa 6; Crusat 7 (Di Santo, 68, 5), McCarthy 7, McArthur 6 (Watson 68, 5), Moses 7; Gomez 6 (McManaman 81, 4); Rodallega 5.

MANCHESTER CITY: Hart 7; Zabaleta 7, Savic 7, Lescott 6, Clichy 7; Milner 7, Barry 7, Nasri 6 (De Jong 74, 5); Silva 7 (Onuoha 81, 4), Dzeko 8, Aguero 7 (Johnson 90, 2).