Wednesday 10 December 2014 23:38, UK
Joe Hart insists Manchester City have stepped up their march for European and domestic glory this season after their 2-0 win at Roma.
Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta struck in the second half to claim a victory which was enough to see City through to the last 16 of the Champions League.
It completed a remarkable comeback in Group E, with progress having looked unlikely just a couple of weeks ago.
"We are a strong unit and we believed in it," Hart told Sky Sports 5. "We had a bit of a slow start but you don't win the Premier League easily. We've got resolve, we've got character and we've got great players. Add that all together and you have a chance.
"It was a great performance and we're moving in the right direction. We've won five or six games on the spin now and we've really stepped it up."
Nasri chose the perfect moment to score his first goal of the season, smashing in from outside the area via the woodwork on the hour at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Frenchman admitted his goal was of huge importance both for the team and on a personal level.
"It was important for me to score as after my surgery it took a little bit of time to come back to that level and now I am," he said. "We are a team and we did it today."
Nasri also revealed that manager Manuel Pellegrini had told his side not to panic against Roma.
"The manager told us to take our time. We won our game against Bayern Munich in the last minute as well and we knew that we had to be patient," Nasri added.
"For me my strike was important but at 1-0 the save that Joe made on the corner was amazing."
