Fernandinho is confident that Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday has given the Premier League champions the impetus toward retaining their title.

Manuel Pellegrini's side dominated large spells at Stamford Bridge but ultimately failed to take points from the table-topping Blues.

Second-placed City remain five points off the pace, but the Brazilian says that another title is inevitable if his teammates reproduce that performance on a regular basis.

"When you look and see that it was against the leaders of the Premier League, and they are at home, you can say it's a good point," he told The Mirror.

"But it was important, because this was our best performance, the best we have played, and we need to keep like this for the rest of the games as well.

"Going forward our players have quality, and when they feel confidence in our defence they can create a lot of chances. Now we are feeling confident, and that is good for everyone."

The Sky Blues take on Hull City at Eastlands on Saturday.