Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has insisted that his side will continue to fight to retain their Premier League crown this season.

City currently trail rivals Manchester United by 12 points at the top of the table, and reduced the gap to that margin after their 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.

However, Hart feels that the champions have turned a corner since their defeat to Southampton a few weeks ago.

"Even if there is one game to go and we are 12 points behind, we'll still believe. We've got to. We've got to keep fighting, you never know. We have just got to keep going," Hart told ESPN.

"We all under-performed against Southampton - that's gone, you can't do anything now, you move on from that.

"You can speculate and talk about the past but we have just got to look forward and try to win. The only way is up for us."

City travel to Aston Villa on Saturday.