Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has stated that his side "deserve to be on top" of the Premier League.

Joleon Lescott scored the only goal as City overcame Aston Villa 1-0 on Sunday afternoon to restore their two-point lead at the top of the table, and Mancini has claimed that his side deserve to be there.

"We are there from September or October. We deserve to be on top. We know that every game will be difficult when we are fighting against top teams like Man United or Tottenham," Mancini told reporters.

"But we are on top and we want to stay there. In January we had some problems with some players injured, some players away and some players banned. What is important is that we are in February and we are on top."

City are in Europa League action against Porto on Thursday evening.