Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has expressed his delight at being back playing for the club following a long spell on the sidelines through injury.

The Frenchman marked his first Premier League start since September with the winning goal this evening as City came from behind to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

Coupled with Arsenal's 3-3 draw against West Ham United earlier in the day, the result sees City close the gap on the third-placed Gunners to two points, and Nasri believes that with players returning to fitness, his side can become less "predictable".

"It was great to be back and to score the winning goal especially after the result of Arsenal and West Ham. It has been more than five months since I have been out so I can't explain how happy I am. It is the best thing to do before we play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next week," he told Sky Sports News.

"The medical staff have done some good work but when you are out for so long, you want to prove to everyone you have the quality to be in the side. With all the new players, I wanted to contribute to the team. When Kevin de Bruyne has been on the sidelines with me and David Silva has been playing with pain, our game has been predictable with Jesus Navas and Raheem Sterling.

"It is good when everyone is fit and the manager can choose all the players he wants. Then it is very easy to play in this team. I can play on the wing or through the middle. We can all play together, the only thing is that we have to defend too. We have to track back with the full-backs and if we can do that then we can all play together."

The victory also takes Man City four points clear of local rivals Manchester United in the race for the final Champions League place.