Silva satisfied as City get into their stride

Manchester City FC forward David Silva said Roberto Mancini's side were beginning to find their stride after they took charge of UEFA Europa League Group A by beating KKS Lech Poznań in the first instalment of their double-header with the Polish champions.

City took a three-point lead in the section thanks to Emmanuel Adebayor's hat-trick, with Silva serving up two of the goals with assists. After the Togolese's clever turn had paved the way for his 13th-minute opener – his first goal of the season – Silva crossed for him to head the second. Lech pulled a goal back after half-time through Joël Tshibamba but Silva helped secure a 3-1 victory with a defence-splitting pass for Adebayor's third 17 minutes from time.

Reflecting on a good night's work, a satisfied Silva told UEFA.com: "It wasn't just my two assists, the whole team did well. We created a lot of chances and we won, which is the main thing. Adebayor played a great game. We know he's a great player and he helped us a lot; if he keeps it going he will win us a lot of points. We can travel to Poland with less pressure now, but still wanting to win. It'll be a difficult place to go to and a tough game but we can go there relaxed and try to get three points."

It was City's fourth win in five matches and Silva hopes the club, second in the Premier League, can maintain that momentum. "The Europa League is important – it's a major European competition – but in the league too we're doing well and let's see if we can keep it going." City will secure progress to the last 32 with a second win Lech, who remain second, on 4 November.

Full-back Pablo Zabaleta added: "We played well, especially in the first half. They scored just after half-time and pushed forward a bit more, but after the third goal we controlled things better. Juventus drew with Salzburg which gives us an advantage and if we win one more game we'll be in the next stage."

That they did it without Carlos Tévez – rested as one of six changes from Sunday's 2-1 victory over Newcastle United FC – showed the strength of Mancini's expensively assembled squad. "We've a very deep squad with very good players and you have to be able to use that to your advantage," said Silva. Zabaleta added that the rotation policy meant "we're all at the right level to challenge in all competitions".

Lech defender Manuel Arboleda admitted City had "incredible quality" but paid tribute also to the Polish supporters who turned out in impressive number at the City of Manchester Stadium. Besides the estimated 2,000 who made the trip from Poland, there were another 3,000 from Britain's Polish expat community. "It was incredible; we have to thank everyone from Poland who came to support us tonight, it felt like we were at home. Unfortunately we couldn't give them a victory but we still have the chance to progress in the competition."