Anelka hopes win will silence cynics

Nicolas Anelka believes Manchester City's 3-1 FA Cup win over Leicester should silence the rumour-mongers who have been claiming…

Nicolas Anelka believes Manchester City's 3-1 FA Cup win over Leicester should silence the rumour-mongers who have been claiming all is not well in Kevin Keegan's camp.

Antoine Sibierski put City ahead early on, but when Les Ferdinand gained deserved reward for Leicester's second-half dominance by lashing the Foxes level 17 minutes from time, most observers expected the visitors to cave in.

Instead, they rallied and after missing one golden chance to put City in front, top scorer Anelka took advantage of hesitation between Frank Sinclair and Ian Walker and  prodded home Michael Tarnat's free-kick in the final minute.

Jon Macken added a third in stoppage time to give the final scoreline a flattering look and earn City a home fourth-round tie with Tottenham in a repeat of the 1981 final.

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"I think this is good for the team, for the manager and for all the people who have stayed behind us through the recent bad times," said Anelka. "We knew it would be a difficult game and we wanted to win. We knew we had to be a unit, we were - and that's why we won."