No strikers, no problem for Man City

LONDON (Reuters) - It was a case of no strikers, no problem for Manchester City on Saturday as they joined Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium. With first-choice forwards Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic and Sergio Aguero injured, City boss Manuel Pellegrini called on his side to find a different way past struggling Palace to go level with leaders Chelsea on 39 points. Needing a four-goal victory to move above Jose Mourinho's side on goals scored, the City attack lacked a focal point in a blank first half as midfielder James Milner was deployed as the lone front man. But City's blunt attack was sharper in the second half and David Silva scored twice in quick succession to put the home side in control before Yaya Toure blasted home a third. Time ran out before City could grab a fourth but the pressure is now on Chelsea to get a positive result against Stoke City on Monday. "It was a very good win. A very good performance. I enjoyed the way the team worked the whole week -- to work in a different way without strikers," Pellegrini told reporters. "David Silva is a top player with lots of quality. Palace are a team who know how to defend. "It was a great job to score three goals. They are also dangerous on the counter." Having trailed Chelsea by eight points in November, champions City have hit a sparkling run of form, winning their last six league matches to put them back in the title race. "I don't think about Chelsea," Pellegrini said. "The only important thing for our team was to win three more points and to continue playing the way we are. "December is a key month, but not the month that you win the title. You play so many games that if you want to be involved in the fight for the title you must be as near as you can to the head of the table." City begin the busy festive period with a trip to West Bromwich Albion on Friday and Pellegrini is unsure whether his striker shortage will have been resolved. "In the next game we are probably not going to have any strikers," he said. "We have to continue trying to play in the same way." (Reporting by Michael Hann, editing by Ed Osmond)