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Pablo Zabaleta says winning is the only objective now as Manchester City look to seize control of the title race.
City underlined their status as favourites for the Barclays Premier League crown with an ultimately comfortable 4-1 win over Southampton on Saturday.
Given that they also have games in hand over rivals Chelsea and Liverpool, third-placed City could afford to draw next week's crunch clash at Anfield.
But with the battle so tight, defender Zabaleta insists they cannot set out to achieve anything less than the full three points.
Acknowledging City needed to overcome a battling Southampton for their latest victory, the Argentinian said: "The most important thing was to win - we must keep winning all games. It is going to be very tough until the end of the season.
Manchester City: The latest match picturesShow all 70 1 /70Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1 James Milner of Manchester City scores his team's second goal to take a 2-1 lead
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1 James Milner celebrates scoring his team's first goal
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Yaya Toure rounds off the scoring for City after a superb solo run
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Stevan Jovetic celebrates after getting on the score sheet with City's third
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Samir Nasri misses a good chance for City
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Vincent Kompany and Samir Nasri celebrate with Edin Dzeko after his second goal of the night
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Edin Dzeko celebrates after putting City in front
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Edin Dzeko wheels away after opening the scoring for City
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Edin Dzeko scores the opening goal past Brad Guzan
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0 Joe Hart prepares himself for the game
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Everton 1 Manchester City 1 Sergio Aguero fires home City's equaliser
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Everton 1 Manchester City 1 Sergio Aguero dribbles past John Stones
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Everton 1 Manchester City 1 Ross Barkley celebrates after opening the scoring with a superb strike
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2 Jason Puncheon is challenged by Aleksandar Kolarov
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2 Referee Howard Webb looks on as Samir Nasri shields the ball from Mile Jedinak and Adrian Mariappa
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2 Yaya Toure celebrates his goal
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2 Yaya Toure finishes in style after a powerful run to put City two in front
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2 Marouane Chamakh is upended by Pablo Zabaleta
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2 Edin Dzeko celebrates after breaking the deadlock within five minutes and giving City the lead
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2 Edin Dzeko heads home City's opener
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 2 Sunderland 2 Samir Nasri clutches his shirt and looks to the heavens after missing the chance to rescue a victory for Manchester City
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 2 Sunderland 2 Vito Mannone fails to keep out Samir Nasri's late strike as the midfielder equalises for City
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 2 Sunderland 2 Connor Wickham celebrates scoring for the second time
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 2 Sunderland 2 Connor Wickham scores to pull Sunderland back into the tie
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 2 Sunderland 2 Fernandinho gives Manchester City the lead with a second-minute striker past Vito Mannone
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2 Philippe Coutinho fires in Liverpool's winner
Manchester City: The latest match pictures Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2 David Silva pulls one back for Manchester City
Manchester City: The latest match pictures Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2 Martin Skrtel heads in Liverpool's second
Manchester City: The latest match pictures Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2 Raheem Sterling celebrates his opening goal with Luis Suarez
Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Stevan Jovetic is congratulated by Samir Nasri after scoring City's fourth
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Joe Hart makes a diving save
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Edin Dzeko celebrates with David Silva after scoring City's third just before halftime
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Edin Dzeko heads in a goal to give City a 3-1 lead
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Samir Nasri celebrates with his teammates after putting City back in front
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Southampton players celebrate after Rickie Lambert's equaliser from the penalty spot
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Rickie Lambert fires home a penalty to bring Southampton level
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 England attacker Jay Rodriguez is injured and has to go off on a stretcher
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Yaya Toure puts City ahead from the spot
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 4 Southampton 1 Referee Chris Foy points to the penalty spot after Edin Dzeko is brought down
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Edin Dzeko can't believe his that deflected effort goes wide
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Mathieu Flamini celebrates his equaliser for the Gunners
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Mathieu Flamini celebrates after putting Arsenal level
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Olivier Giroud remonstrates with referee Mike Dean
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Mikel Arteta plays the ball past Jesus Navas
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 0 Manchester City 1 Tomas Rosicky battles for the ball with Yaya Toure
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Martin Demichelis confronts Tomas Rosicky after the Arsenal player's tackle leaves Gael Clichy injured
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 The Arsenal players walk back to half way line looking dejected after conceding the opening goal
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 David Silva and Edin Dzeko celebrate after the Spaniard's opening goal
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Yaya Toure holds off Santi Cazorla
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Arsenal 1 Manchester City 1 Fernandinho holds off the challenge of Mathieu Flamini
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester United 0 Manchester City 3 Edin Dzeko celebrates one of his two goals at Old Trafford - both of which came early at the start of each half
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester United 0 Manchester City 3 David De Gea looks dejected after conceding to Manchester City
Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester United 0 Manchester City 3 Marouane Fellaini is taken off, much to the delight of United fans after another abject performance
Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester United 0 Manchester City 3 England team-mates Joe Hart and Dnny Welbeck come together
Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester United 0 Manchester City 3 Jesus Navas sees his cross blocked by Patrice Evra
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester United 0 Manchester City 3 Yaya Toure sweeps in his side's third goal late in the match
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Fulham 0 Martin Demichelis rounds off the scoring for City
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Fulham 0 Yaya Toure celebrates his second goal of the afternoon
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Fulham 0 Yaya Toure converts his first penalty
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Hull 0 Manchester City 2 Edin Dzeko celebrates with David Silva and Jesus Navas
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Hull 0 Manchester City 2 Edin Dzeko scores City's second
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Hull 0 Manchester City 2 George Boyd and Joe Hart have to be separated after a bust up
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Hull 0 Manchester City 2 David Silva celebrates his opening goal
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Hull 0 Manchester City 2 Vincent Kompany receives a red card for a tackle on Nikica Jelavic
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Barcelona 2 Manchester City 1 Gerard Pique goes up for a head with Vincent Kompany
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Barcelona 2 Manchester City 1 Lionel Messi celebrates after opening the scoring in this Champions League second-leg match
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Barcelona 2 Manchester City 1 Joe Hart saves at the feet of Cesc Fabregas
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Barcelona 2 Manchester City 1 Aleksandar Kolarov does his best to stop Neymar
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Barcelona 2 Manchester City 1 Sergio Aguero pictured at the Nou Camp
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Manchester City: The latest match pictures Barcelona 2 Manchester City 1 David Silva in action at the Nou Camp
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"At the end of the season, sometimes, teams can look a little tired but I think we must keep winning games.
"Every single game now is going to be like a final, (but) we have belief.
"I think we have a great team to make success this season but it is not going to be very easy.
"We need to keep working hard and keep playing like (we did) in the second half. I think playing in that way we will have more chances."
City made the perfect start against Mauricio Pochettino's mid-table side as Yaya Toure netted a third-minute penalty after Jose Fonte was adjudged to have tripped Edin Dzeko.
But they failed to build on that and Saints responded well, even after 17-goal top scorer Jay Rodriguez suffered a serious-looking - and potentially World Cup-ending - knee injury.
Rodriguez, who had been in the frame for a place in England's squad for Brazil, was carried off on a stretcher after landing awkwardly midway through the first half.
The player, club and national boss Roy Hodgson will all be awaiting updates on his condition early next week.
Saints equalised with a Rickie Lambert penalty after Zabaleta tripped Jack Cork but two goals just before the break put City in command.
The first was highly controversial, with David Silva clearly offside before setting up Samir Nasri.
But as Pochettino complained, Dzeko headed a third and the game was effectively gone. Substitute Stevan Jovetic added a fourth nine minutes from time.
Zabaleta said: "I think they are probably one of the best teams in the league, for sure.
"I think we must give them a lot of credit because they are having a great season, they played really well.
"We didn't play our best in the first half but then we came back stronger.
"We had the control of the ball in the second half. We scored four goals and that is great for us."
Pochettino bemoaned the decisions of referee Chris Foy after the game. He was unhappy with the award of City's early penalty and then felt the missed Silva offside completely changed the game.
Striker Lambert was in full agreement with his manager, telling the club's website, saintsfc.co.uk: "It is a disgrace of a decision, I have got to say.
"You can understand two or three yards but five or six - it's unbelievable. I haven't got words for it.
"It absolutely killed us going into half-time. At 1-1 at half-time at this place, it gives everyone a lift.
"We're not saying we would have drawn or won, but it would have been a different game. Going back out at 3-1 down, it's hard to get back into a game."
Most thoughts at the club at the club after the game were with Rodriguez, who had been enjoying an outstanding season.
Lambert, who has his own World Cup hopes, said: "I'm gutted. Absolutely devastated.
"He has been superb for us. He is on fire, he has been on fire all season.
"Obviously with what is coming up, it is hard put into words. I can't imagine - his head's gone in there, which you can imagine."
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