Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has claimed that he was "happy" with his team's performance in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw at Newcastle United.

Sergio Aguero's 100th Premier League goal sent the visitors into a 14th-minute lead at St James' Park, but Vurnon Anita equalised 17 minutes later as the two teams shared the spoils on the night.

Pellegrini has admitted that his team struggled to match their performance from the weekend, when they beat Chelsea 3-0, but the Chilean refused to criticise his players.

"I am happy. We started winning the game but we could not have the control after that. We knew that it was going to be very tough," Pellegrini told BBC Sport. "I didn't see the team with the energy from Saturday, but we play after three days at the end of the season and it is not easy for the team to recover."

Man City have moved a point above fourth-placed Arsenal in the Premier League table, but the Champions League semi-finalists are just five points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United, who now have a game in hand.