Manchester City Manager Manuel Pellegrini has praised the efforts of goalkeeper Joe Hart in his side’s 2-1 win over Liverpool on Boxing Day.

Hart made a number of good saves, including two reflex saves in particular to deny Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, which saw City move up to second place in the league table with the win.

Pellegrini was quick to praise Hart for his efforts, especially after he dropped the player back in November for a goalkeeping error he made against Chelsea

“I am very pleased with Joe... Not only (for) now, but I think in all the games he played in the last month. He did very well,” said Pellegrini.

“He [Hart] has worked very hard in the last month and a half.

“He is the best goalkeeper in England.”

Pellegrini added that it was an important win for his side, but has also warned his side to be ready for a tough match against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

"It was a very important win because Liverpool was the best team in the Premier League and they were at the top of the table before the match,” added the City boss.

“It's important that we showed the personality to come from behind to win the game.

“We play against Crystal Palace in less than 48 hours (after playing Liverpool) and we have to be ready for that.”

City captain Vincent Kompany has also heeded a word of warning for his troops, suggesting fatigue may kick in and they will have to guard against that.

“These fixtures bring different challenges and there is a lot to take account of,” said Kompany.

“As much as we would like to call ourselves favourites, there will be fatigue and, being the festive period, the games come thick and fast.

“There have already been one or two surprise results and my experience is that Tony Pulis' teams are really organised and difficult to beat.”