Manchester City FC

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Given handed Hughes praise

02 Nov 2009 - 10:08:44

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Manchester City boss Mark Hughes hailed the performance of Shay Given after Sunday's goalless draw with Birmingham City.

City moved back into the top four despite struggling up front in the absence of the injured Emmanuel Adebayor.

However, Hughes admitted the point was earned by an inspired performance from Given, with the highlight being a 55th minute penalty save from James McFadden.

"I gave Shay a glowing tribute before the game, not that he needed it, but he is an outstanding keeper," said Hughes.

"He has been top drawer for the majority of his career and I am very pleased that he is with Manchester City.

"He kept us in this game with Birmingham after we had struggled to impose ourselves for long periods.

"Birmingham chased us down and maybe we got sucked into the way Birmingham wanted to play and it was definitely one point gained rather than two points lost."

Hughes also played down his side's inability to turn draws into wins away from Eastlands.

He added: "We made a flying start to the season and because of that people expected us to win every game.

"That is not going to happen this year and, if you look around, everyone in this league is dropping points."