Mancini's faith earns reward from Balotelli

Manchester City 2 Everton 0: Italian substitute breaks Everton resolve after manager favours him over Tevez

Manchester City took a significant step forward yesterday. That may sound an unlikely conclusion to draw from a victory that owed as much to persistence as anything else but this was precisely the kind of victory that they will need if they are to sustain a championship challenge this season.

Facing their bogey side, Everton, victorious on their last four visits to east Manchester, they huffed and puffed for much of the first hour, struggling to break down opponents who, without an orthodox striker, had set out to frustrate City from the off.

Then the substitute Mario Balotelli entered the fray and within eight minutes, the Italian had sent a deflected 20-yard shot flying past Tim Howard to break the deadlock. Another substitute, James Milner, added a late second to secure a fifth win in six Premier League matches.

After City's loss of a two-goal lead in last Sunday's draw with Fulham, Roberto Mancini was delighted to see them back on track before Tuesday's Champions League visit to Bayern Munich.

The City manager said: "Everton defended the whole game behind the ball; it was not easy for us to find a good solution, to find the space, these games are difficult but we pushed them for 90 minutes. In the end we deserved to win."

In their impoverished state, Everton have seemed to take particular delight from upsetting the north-west's nouveaux riches in recent seasons – winning seven of their previous eight meetings – and for the first 45 minutes Moyes must have been the happier manager.

The Scot sent his team out with Tim Cahill leading the attack supported by Marouane Fellaini, and with Jack Rodwell performing a creditable man-marking job on David Silva, Everton succeeded in frustrating their opponents.

Moyes made no apology for his approach, saying: "We've seen them have some really big results. I wasn't going to come here for the enjoyment of Man City I was going to come here and do what was right for Everton."

Although Sergio Aguero fired over after sidestepping Phil Jagielka in the 18th minute, Everton were frustrating their hosts, even if their failure to hold on to the ball meant the pressure began to grow as half-time approached. Edin Dzeko, on the turn, sliced over Micah Richards' low cross then, Aguero curled in a shot that Howard did well to palm behind.

It was not until the 50th minute that Joe Hart had a save to make, and that a routine one from Leon Osman. Cahill, City's nemesis on occasions in the past, then nodded over a Seamus Coleman cross but it was definitely not the Australian's day. That became apparent when he slid into a challenge on Kompany and collected a stamp on the left ankle from the Belgian that ended his involvement. To rub salt into the wound, Cahill became one of five Everton players booked by the referee, Howard Webb, while Kompany escaped unpunished.

An unhappy Moyes said: "It looks like just a bruised shin but it was a terrible tackle. I have seen it again, his foot was right on his shin, so I am disappointed it wasn't spotted."

The Scot accused Webb of being "taken by the crowd" and also complained that the throw-in leading to City's opener should have gone the other way. That did not bother Aguero who, picking the ball up on the right, drove across the edge of the penalty box before laying it off to Balotelli. The Italian's first-time sidefooted strike took a slight deflection off Jagielka and flew past Howard and into the far corner for his first Premier League goal since February. Balotelli had barely smiled after opening his account for the season against Birmingham in the Carling Cup in midweek; now he raced to the touchline and into the arms of Mancini.

The City manager said he had sent on Balotelli, rather than Carlos Tevez, for Dzeko as he wanted "a player that can play wide also". Balotelli is suspended for Tuesday's visit to Bayern, but Mancini added: "Mario didn't play for three or four games, but he worked well, he didn't say anything and he waited for this moment. So I enjoyed it for him, he scored an important goal and now it is important that he continues to improve."

Silva might have added a second, hitting the post before tucking in a Balotelli cross from while offside, but he did set up Milner to wrap up the win. After Royston Drenthe had given the ball away, Silva advanced at Everton's centre-backs and threaded a pass through for Milner to score.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Touré, Barry; Silva, Aguero (Milner, 78), Nasri (Savic, 83); Dzeko (Balotelli, 60).

Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard; Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Coleman (Vellios, 81), Neville (Drenthe, 73), Rodwell, Osman; Fellaini; Cahill (Saha, 66).

Referee Howard Webb.

Man of the match Silva (Manchester City).