Joleon Lescott: "We never doubted Joe Hart"

Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has said that he and his teammates never doubted the ability of goalkeeper Joe Hart after his side ended Everton's unbeaten run with a 3-1 win over the Toffees this afternoon.

Hart has been heavily criticised in the press of late following some disappointing performances in the Premier League and Champions League, with the England keeper conceding three against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

"We never doubted Joe and were never concerned with his form or ability," Lescott told BT Sport.

"Joe's a strong enough man. He can deal with anything that's put on his shoulders. We went behind but showed great character to get back into the game and dominate from then on.

"I felt we had a few more chances in the first half and maybe we could have done better, but we [showed] our desire and commitment to the game throughout 90 minutes."

England boss Roy Hodgson has also kept his faith in Hart, with the goalkeeper set to start in his country's vital World Cup qualifiers next week.