Manchester City midfielder James Milner has said that it was important his side responded to two consecutive defeats after their 3-1 win over Everton today.

City fell behind early on to a Romelu Lukaku strike but a minute later they equalised through Alvaro Negredo.

Sergio Aguero put them ahead and then saw his penalty find the back of the net after hitting Tim Howard to seal a win after their recent disappointments.

"I think we played well against Aston Villa but ended up losing the game but we didn't perform up to our standards in midweek," Milner told the club's official website.

"It was important to bounce back today against Everton who are a very strong team. It was great to have David Silva back, too. He's a top player and any team in the world would miss him.

"There's great movement in this team and everyone is comfortable with the ball. That's what the manager is encouraging us to do - play with freedom in the final quarter of the pitch."

Today's victory moved City up to third in the Premier League table.