Adam Johnson, the Manchester City winger, has revealed a pre-match pep talk from Khaldoon al Mubarak, the club chairman, spurred his side on to their 5-0 hammering of Sunderland on Sunday.
City moved into the top three with the win, which came just hours after al Mubarak had flown in from Abu Dhabi. After missing out last season, City are on course for automatic qualification for the Champions League.
"The chairman spoke to us on Sunday morning," Johnson said. "He outlined what getting into the Champions League would mean to this club and, I think, spurred everyone on for the victory against Sunderland. He said he was fully backing us and that everyone was behind us to get that Champions League place.
"To get into the Champions League would be massive for this club but he also said how important it was to win a trophy because we hadn't won one for over 30 years."
City face Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on April 16.
