Roberto Mancini praises resilient Blackburn Rovers

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that it was tough to break down Blackburn Rovers after his side's 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Goals from Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko have seen the Premier League leaders open up a five-point gap over rivals Manchester United at the top of the table.

"It was difficult, they had 10 players behind the ball," Mancini told Sky Sports News. "If you don't score, you can have a problem. We had a lot of chances to score. In the end it was important we won the game."

United can cut the gap back to two points if they win at Norwich City on Sunday.