Their 2-2 draw against Liverpool added weight to suggestions Hughes' side are simply 'nearly men' despite the ambitions of the club's billionaire owners in Abu Dhabi.

City are nearly a good team, they are nearly in the title race and they nearly grabbed a famous victory over a Liverpool side who are in a shocking mess at home and in Europe.

This draw was City's sixth in succession in the league, two short of the all-time English record and equalling their own club record set back in 1914.

That is 12 extra points they nearly won. Those 12 would put them right in the title mix rather than watching with frustration 12 points behind leaders Chelsea.

City could have won if Hughes had been more adventurous. If he turned on the radio when he returned to Manchester after the game, he would have heard fans on phone-ins pleading with him to attack more and use his resources better.

Hughes left more than £40million of striking talent on the bench for much of the game.

Roque Santa Cruz did not get into the fray while, crucially, Carlos Tevez turned the game with his 29 minutes of action.

Emmanuel Adebayor cancelled out Martin Skrtel's opener and Stephen Ireland fired City ahead soon after. But within seconds Yossi Benayoun had grabbed an equaliser.

That had shades of Michael Owen's winner for United against City back in September, seconds after City had drawn level in injury-time.

Hughes knows that with all the money spent he is expected to qualify for the Champions League, and he must dislodge one of the previous top-four elite to do it.

He said: "The Premier League is very fluid. It is too early to judge. A couple of weeks ago we were beating Arsenal and everyone was telling us they were the most vulnerable of the top four.

"Now people are saying Liverpool are the most vulnerable. Things will change, this season will see teams taking points off each other right from start to finish of the campaign.

"In the past a City team would have been delighted with scoring two at Anfield and getting a point. Now we are disappointed with that, it shows how far we have come."

Adebayor, who headed City into a 2-1 lead in the second half, said: "We're nearly there. Leading 2-1 at Anfield is not something everyone will do, but we have to believe that we can finish games off, and if we do we can believe that we can finish in the top four.

"That's what we are fighting for and the boys believe it, so there's no reason why we can't achieve that."

Hughes says he will have Robinho back in the squad for next Saturday's home game with Hull, when the draws just have to stop.