Manchester City held their nerve and marched closer to the Premiership by extending their unbeaten run to eight matches on a crucial day in the race to reach the big time.

Shaun Goater with a cheeky first-half goal - his 28th of the season - and, eventually after intense pressure, Jeff Whitley with his fourth of the campaign, secured a vital win in the desperate race for the second automatic promotion spot.

And this could be the crucial moment of the season when the battle turned City's way. With their closest rivals Ipswich and Barnsley both losing, City are now four points clear with a better goal difference and just three games left. Never has their destiny been more in their own hands.

The crowd erupted at the end, as the results from elsewhere flashed on the scoreboard, and "Moving on up" pounded out across the stadium. Maybe they are right now. More than 32,000 believe it.

City had Tranmere under almost constant pressure, but failed to turn their possession into clear-cut openings.

But they were ahead after just ten minutes with a Goater strike that was as clever as it was opportunist.

A long ball from defence bounced invitingly 20 yards out with Alan Morgan asking goalkeeper Joe Murphy to come to collect. The Irish youth international was tentative and waited on the edge of his box to pick the ball up.

But Goater got there seconds ahead of him and nicked the ball away, took it to the line and squeezed it home from an acute angle.

Murphy claimed he had the ball kicked from his grasp, but he clearly had barely a finger on it and Tranmere's defenders - rather than join in the appeal - rounded on their young keeper.

Mark Kennedy got acres of space on the left, but his final ball was frequently overhit, and the weight of possession in City's favour was being wasted.

Tranmere's best chance of the half came from a corner, not cleared properly, that skipper Wayne Allison drove inches wide.

Clint Hill and then Richard Hinds were booked, one trying to halt Kennedy and the other hacking at Danny Tiatto, who was himself cautioned early in the second half.

Another Maine Road full house witnessed much of the same after the break, Tranmere sitting back, defending in depth and inviting City to create.

It was nerve-wracking in the extreme, and Royle brought on Robert Taylor after 72 minutes to add more power up front.

A minute later City got the crucial breakthrough. A poor clearance from Hill, sliced across the pitch, was collected by Kennedy and his instant ball into the six-yard box was run in by Whitley, and the tension lifted.

With Monday's trip to Portsmouth in mind, City brought on Ian Bishop and Jamie Pollock for Kennedy and Whitley.

City could have scored again when Andy Parkinson hacked off the line from Horlock, and it was not until the 89th minute that Nicky Weaver had to make a save, beating out a David Kelly shot.

Teams:

Man City: Weaver, Edghill, Prior, Jobson, Tiatto, Wiekens, Horlock, J. Whitley (Pollock 77), Kennedy (Bishop 74), Dickov (R. Taylor 69), Goater.

Subs Not Used: Granville, Wright.

Booked: Tiatto.

Goals: Goater 10, J. Whitley 72.

Tranmere: Murphy, Allen, Challinor, Hill, Roberts, Morgan, G. Jones (Black 61), Hinds (Aldridge 87), Parkinson (Hume 87), Allison, Kelly.

Subs Not Used: Achterberg, S. Taylor.

Booked: Hill, Hinds.

Att: 32,842

Ref: A Leake (Darwen, Lancs).