Holloway unhappy but Mancini pleased with City's rise

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway was left frustrated after claiming three key decisions went against his side as they lost to Manchester City yesterday.

The visitors moved to second place in the Premier League table thanks to a 3-2 victory which included a brace from Carlos Tevez.

Holloway, sitting in the stand as he was serving a one-match touchline ban, took issue with referee Phil Dowd.

He went public on his thoughts despite being punished by the FA for remarks to referee Mike Dean following the home defeat by Blackburn.

Holloway felt Tevez was offside for his first goal and that a foul had been committed against Ian Evatt in the build-up to the Argentinian's second.

The Blackpool boss was also aggrieved at a disallowed effort from Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the second period.

Holloway said: "The big decisions swung the game their way and Goliath has just walked off with all three points.

"David has been left to fill his slingshot. I wonder what the score would have been otherwise.

"I think David would have been happy and Goliath would have had a mark where we had hit him."

Tevez made the breakthrough after getting in front of Craig Cathcart only for substitute Marlon Harewood to equalise.

However, Tevez immediately replied and David Silva made it 3-1 to City with his first league goal for the club – a fine solo effort – before Taylor-Fletcher scored Blackpool's second at the back post in stoppage time.

Holloway added: "He's (referee Dowd) got three massive decisions wrong, which cost my team against one of the so-called big teams.

"They've got to get those right. Three goals. Our goal, Elliot Grandin was offside but it went to Taylor-Fletcher and he scored. Their (first] goal, Tevez was offside with a backheel and the second one was a foul on my defender, absolutely blatant. I just saw all that on the telly. Heartbreaking.

"For me, we could have been one point behind them if things had gone our way, as they clearly should have done.

"We're getting absolutely bo diddley squat, week-in, week-out. But there you go, such is life."

City manager Roberto Mancini was pleased to see his side move on to the shoulders of champions Chelsea and believes they can still improve.

He said: "We are continuing to change our mentality and it was an important result for us.

"We worked hard in the first half and scored three goals in the second half which is not easy. Blackpool played very well.

"Strong teams win some games they probably do not deserve. It is impossible to always play well. But we did score three goals away from home."

Tevez now has 28 goals in his last 31 league games and team-mate Gareth Barry said: "He's carried on from last season. He's a world-class striker.

"Last season he got 20-odd goals (29) and I'm sure he can do that again. If he does we'll be right up there come the end of the season."