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A beaming Manuel Pellegrini reckons his City side can get better after their Capital One Cup semi-final first leg six-goal demolition of West Ham.

The Chilean says he will continue to look for improvement from his quadruple-hunting charges and sent out a message that will send shivers down the spines of rivals at home and abroad.

Speaking after an emphatic thumping of the Hammers as good as booked a place at Wembley on March 2, Pellegrini hailed his free-scoring team but revealed he would be looking for them to raise their game.

“I think that the team always can improve,” he said, “Today we played very well and that’s why I am so happy not only with the score, that we scored six goals, but also because we were very balanced.

“West Ham did not have one chance. Every game is different but it is important to continue this way and we will see what this team can do in the future.”

The latest demolition job extended the Blues’ formidable record in Beswick and Pellegrini wants to make history by ending the season without doing anything other than win on home soil.

Some have claimed opponents are scared of travelling to City’s HQ and while Pellegrini brushed aside those claims, he did call on his troops to continue their pursuit of perfection.

“I don’t know if they are scared to play here,” he added.

“I think it’s important for our team to be absolutely convincing.

“We have to win the games here. We must play nine games at home and it’s very important not to lose one point.

“It is very important for a big team to try to win all the games we play. At Manchester City we are trying to do that.”

The chances of the unhappy Hammers overturning a six-goal deficit in the second leg are slimmer than a dieting supermodel but Pellegrini refused to acknowledge that the tie was over.

“In football it’s never finished but of course it’s an important step,” the Chilean continued.

“We have to play the second leg in London but I think with the result here it’s not absolutely finished but it’s an important step.

“We are not in the final but we are very near to our first final.

“It’s important to continue in all the other competitions playing the way we played today.”

Should the inevitable transpire in East London, Pellegrini will lead out a team at Wembley in his first season in English football but he played down any sense of personal achievement.

“It’s very important but I am not a manager that worries about me – I think it is very important for the club,” he said.

“I work for the team and the fans and, of course, I would be proud to play the final there.”

Pellegrini also hailed hat-trick hero Alvaro Negredo – and his partnership with two-goal Edin Dzeko.

“Playing better than the way he did today is not easy,” he said.

“He played a complete game in all senses, not only because he scored three goals but the link with the midfield, and he recovered a lot of balls.

“I thought it was very important for Alvaro and Edin Dzeko to play well together because maybe in other games they were not playing as well as they used to.”

One slight negative on an evening packed with positives was a minor injury concern over Yaya Toure, who was subbed on 66 minutes – but Pellegrini was upbeat over his situation.

“It was a precaution and also he has some pain in his ankle,” he said.

“We will see tomorrow but we hope it is nothing too serious.”

Under-fire West Ham boss Sam Allardyce paid tribute to City.

“We’re not the first team to get beat here by many goals and we won’t be the last,” he said.

“This semi-final fell at the wrong time and they’ve heavily punished us. You can’t get near a team when they play like that.”