It was a repeat of the FA Cup final on Tuesday night and the same team triumphed at Eastlands, with a barely-changed Manchester City side running out 3-0 winners against Stoke City to strengthen their grip on third place in the Premier League.

Not for the first time this season, Carlos Tevez was the man with the Midas touch in front of goal and the Argentine moved level with Dimitar Berbatov in the Premier League scoring charts after a well-taken brace.

Tevez’s comments after the FA Cup final suggested that a move away from Eastlands was on the cards, although manager Roberto Mancini is singing from a different team-sheet and reckons the player will remain at the club.

“He has said he wants to stay,” Mancini said. “He’s got a five-year contract here and he told me this [that he would stay] before and after the Cup final. I’ve spoken with him many times in the last 20 days and it’s my opinion that he will stay here next season.”

It appears that Mancini’s relationship with Tevez has gradually improved since the Italian replaced Mark Hughes as manager, with the striker being critical of the Welshman’s sacking.