Manuel Pellegrini & Charlie Austin win manager and player of month

Manuel Pellegrini has won the managers' award before but Charlie Austin has never been given player of the month

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini and Queens Park Rangers' Charlie Austin have been named Barclays Manager and Player of the Month for December.

Pellegrini, 61, guided City to five wins and a draw in the Premier League and progressed in the Champions League.

His side's league form cut an eight-point gap to leaders Chelsea down to a single point by 31 December.

Austin, 25, the top-scoring Englishman in the league, hit five of QPR's six goals as they won seven points from 15.

It is the first time the striker has won the award and having found the net once in January, he now has 13 goals this season, two behind the league's leading scorer Diego Costa.

A hat-trick against West Brom on 20 December proved crucial in a 3-2 win and Rangers, now 19th, are within a point of three teams placed above the relegation zone.

Pellegrini's City could only draw at Everton last weekend and are now two points adrift of Chelsea as they bid to defend their league title.

The Chilean has now won the monthly award three times since joining City in 2013, equalling the number of times Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has won the honour during his time in England.