Joe Hart believes Manchester City have been unaffected by the criticism they have received and thinks they showed their mental strength to beat Leicester 2-0 on Wednesday.
The Premier League champions were condemned for their performances in recent 2-1 defeats to Barcelona and Liverpool but goalkeeper Hart said they are not worried what outsiders think.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini's position in charge has been called into question but Hart said City's players have been able to shrug off the speculation.
"In the end, this was a hard-fought game, as we expected, similar to the game we had at their place, so it was a good win," Hart told reporters.
"We've had criticism off people who don't particularly matter to us. What matters is what our manager thinks, and what we think as players. We showed where our heads are at with this result."
City remain five points behind leaders Chelsea but Hart believes their never-say-die spirit equips them well for the run-in.
"We'll keep trying to win every game we've got, same as we have done for the past couple of years, when we've been chasing titles and cups," he added.
"We try to win every single game we play -- it's pretty evident we can't always do it, and that's the case right now, but it's what we're pushing for and that will never change."