Mancini nearly benched Balotelli after five mins

Mancini, who said on Friday Balotelli could not be trusted, pondered taking off his fellow Italian before the forward's first half penalty and a late second helped City battle back to secure a point after trailing 3-1 with five minutes to play.

"I thought about taking him off after five minutes but in the end he scored two goals," said Mancini. "He didn't play well. In a game like this the strikers should be the difference - but not in the last two minutes, in the minutes before."

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1