Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was pleased to pick up all three points against West Brom ahead of the showpiece F.A. Cup final against Wigan at the weekend, while Baggies boss Steve Clarke was unhappy with the missed offside call which led to City scoring the only goal of the game.
Edin Dzeko netted in the 35th minute, courtesy an assist from Carlos Tevez - who looked offside in the build up -- with City moving seven points clear of third-placed Chelsea thanks to the three points at the Etihad.
"I thought that it was a difficult game," Mancini told Sky Sports. "We changed a lot of players, we took some risks, but in the end it was important to win this game.
"After 10 minutes, we started to play very well. We had five incredible chances to score, but we were missing. For that reason, we suffered more in the second half.
"They are a good team. They have had a fantastic season, they play good football. We knew that it would be a difficult game."
Mancini hinted at already knowing his starting lineup for the F.A. Cup final against Wigan, saying goalscorer Dzeko, who missed a sitter against Swansea last Saturday, had a chance of making the first XI.
"I think Edin has a chance," he added. "He played very well tonight and I think he is one of the best strikers in Europe who has scored some important goals for us.
"But I also think he needs to work hard because he can do even better than he has done this season.
"He could start against Wigan but we still have four days before the game and I will make a final decision on the team on Saturday morning."
Mancini also allayed fears over Yaya Toure's availability for the Wembley final, after the all-action midfielder was left out of the squad for the game at the Etihad.
"Yaya was at home asleep! He was very tired against Swansea so we thought he'd be better resting up for this game," Mancini said.
"He should be fine for the weekend."
Clarke was happy with his players' performance, and believed his side deserved to get something out of the game.
"We were disappointed to lose," Clarke said. "I feel for my players. They put in a really good performance.
"I made some changes and Manchester City made some changes as well. It was a game we should certainly have got something out of. We started really well."
Clarke was disappointed that the offside decision did not go West Brom's way. "I knew the goal was offside because the linesman was two yards behind play," he said. "He was standing right in front of me and was looking at the ball when it was passed forward.
"He didn't get the decision right. I don't like complaining too much about officials and decisions because decisions are what the game is all about.
"But when you come to a ground like the Etihad Stadium and you're playing a team of the quality of Manchester City, you need the decisions to be correct.
"If the decisions are correct, you can live with that."
