Joe Hart's Brilliance Secures Man City Automatic Champions League Qualification

In the early stages of last season, Joe Hart’s Manchester City future seemed far from certain. Dropped after a series of high-profile blunders cost Manuel Pellegrini’s side numerous away points, he was seriously underperforming and in danger of never recovering the form he had shown between 2010 and 2012.

Pellegrini’s decision to drop Hart likely hurt the England man, but on reflection, it proved to be a masterstroke. His error in the closing stages of City's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea back in October 2013 saw him sit out all of his side's Premier League games until the trip to Fulham six weeks later. Since then, he's improved drastically and is now, quite rightly, viewed as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers again.

He further underlined his rising status with another superb display in City’s 4-2 win away at Swansea City on Sunday, a result that secured the Blues a top-three finish, meaning they will avoid a potentially awkward and disruptive Champions League qualifier in August.

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A brace from @YayaToure, one a piece from Milner and Bony and a world class save from Hart ensures direct entry into the @ChampionsLeague.

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) May 17, 2015"

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke on Friday about the "dramatic consequences" of not qualifying for the Champions League outright, per the Mirror, and Pellegrini will be hugely relieved to have secured a top-three place. After the defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in April, that looked far from certain, but five straight wins since then have altered things significantly. 

The Chilean owes a debt of gratitude to his goalkeeper, who produced a series of stunning saves to keep his side ahead. It may not have been a performance to match his heroics in the Nou Camp earlier this season—his best display for the club—but it was hugely important and provided more evidence to suggest he has recovered from his malaise.

He made a superb one-handed save from Nathan Dyer in the first half after Eliaquim Mangala's careless piece of defending, and he topped that in the closing stages when he clawed away a Federico Fernandez header that was heading for the top corner. 

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Just spoke to Hart: "You just produced one of the best saves I have ever seen". Couldn't have made it clearer than that! #mcfc #swansvcity

— Kelly O'Donnell_MCFC (@Kelly_O_Donnell) May 17, 2015"

Hart's credentials may have been enhanced, but City's performance was far from convincing. It offered a microcosm of their season: some wonderful moves going forward, too much space conceded in midfield and moments of pure calamity in defence.

Pellegrini's position is under scrutiny, and City needed a strong end to the season for him to put forward a convincing case to stay on and see out the final year of his contract. Five straight wins, on paper, looks like excellent form, but City's performances in that run have, in truth, been unconvincing. 

Yaya Toure was the difference at the Liberty Stadium, scoring two goals to hand City the win. There’s been a lot of talk in recent weeks that the Ivorian could be sold in the summer, with his agent, Dimitri Seluk, recently telling Sky Sports News that he was “90 per cent sure” his client would be playing elsewhere next summer.

Given that Toure turned 32 on May 13, and with his agent so often disrupting proceedings with ill-timed comments, it would hardly be a surprise if City did sell him. However, this display gave another reminder of what they would be missing.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

He’s a unique midfielder, boasting a powerful mix of speed, intelligence, vision, passing accuracy, technical skill and goalscoring prowess. Who else can match what Toure has to offer?

James Milner also scored a well-taken goal, and he is another who looks set to exit the Etihad Stadium this summer. His contract expires in June and, as of yet, no new agreement has been reached. It's now at the stage where it's become a matter of "when" he will leave rather than "if." 

He'll be a big loss, given his quality and versatility, but Wilfried Bony, who scored City's fourth on Sunday against his old club, looks set to have a more prominent role during the next campaign. 

He's started just two games since his January switch, with his Africa Cup of Nations involvement and a couple of niggling injuries disrupting his passage into the City side. Clearly, though, he has much to offer and brings a different element to City's attack, and he will benefit from finding the target in this match. 

It's been a desperately disappointing season for City after the quality they showed in Pellegrini's first year in charge, but five straight wins has seen them secure that all-important automatic Champions League qualification. A big summer in the transfer market now lies in wait.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.