Manchester, Dec 13 (IANS): Manchester City head coach Manuel Pellegrini has paid tribute to midfielder Yaya Toure, whose late winner gave them a 2-1 victory over Swansea in an English Premier League (EPL) match.

Pellegrini was on Saturday disappointed with Swansea’s late goal, but added he was pleased with the 2-1 win after a tiring few weeks for his players. Swansea were forcing a draw after dominating much of the second period, but Kelechi Iheanacho deflected Toure’s shot into his own goal in injury time to secure three points for the hosts.

"Yaya was one of the best players in this game. He was the player who tried to create different things," the coach told the club's website, mcfc.co.uk, after the match on Saturday.

"He just came back from an injury in his calf and he played in midweek and today so I'm happy for him," he added, hailing the Ivorian international footballer's resilience.

Now, City have another nine days to recharge their batteries before travelling to Arsenal.

"That was our fifth game in 15 days, it was important to win this game -- now we'll see what happens at the top of the table. We have the week to work before we play Arsenal."