Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini understands better than most the cliches about title races not being over until the final minute of the season and is therefore refusing to look at the Premier League table.

In case he has missed it, his side lies 12 points behind leader Manchester United after goals from Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez gave it a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday to keep alive its faint hopes of retaining its English crown.

Had it lost, the challenge of catching Alex Ferguson's men and stopping it winning a 20th league title could have been too much in Mancini's eyes.

"Maybe," the Italian said at a news conference when asked if a 15-point gap with 11 games left might have been a task too great.

"But I think football is finished when it's finished, the last minute of the last game. It is clear if we arrive with four games to go and United are 12 points (ahead) it's clear it is finished but our job is to continue to work."

Having secured the title in the dying seconds of the season on goal difference from United last term after making up eight points in six games, Mancini has plenty of reason for optimism even if he is choosing to avoid looking at reality.

"I think now it is not important to look at the table, only to continue to work like today, to play well, to improve because we can improve," he said. "And maybe look at the table in one month, 40 days."

Mancini opened his news conference by thanking Pope Benedict, who is abdicating, for his eight-year rule and the City manager could well be hoping for some divine intervention in the title run-in.

He will certainly be hoping for the type of attack-minded display City put in against Chelsea, who leaves the Etihad Stadium more likely to be fighting for a top-four finish than the runner-up spot it would have been closer to with a win.

"Maybe we could have scored more goals," Mancini said, putting it mildly after a heap of missed opportunities by the likes of Jack Rodwell and Sergio Aguero.

It also owed a lot to goalkeeper Joe Hart, whose excellent save of a Frank Lampard penalty early in the second half was the catalyst for City to turn its chances into goals.

"It was important because maybe then the game could change (if Chelsea had scored)," Mancini said, adding he had nevertheless been disappointed Hart had given the spot kick away in the first place by bringing down Demba Ba.

Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez was also holding onto the notion that anything can happen in soccer after his hopes of closing within a point of second-placed City stalled.

"(By) winning we would be closer but still it would be a fight until the end of the season," he said.

(China Daily 02/26/2013 page22)