City sweat on Silva fitness

MANCHESTER - Agence France-Presse

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini kicks the ball during the English Premier League soccer match against West Bromwich at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England. AP Photo

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said he hoped the ankle injury sustained by midfielder David Silva was not serious after it overshadowed his side's 3-1 win against West Bromwich Albion.
 
City are now six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, with a game in hand, after goals from the Argentinian trio of Pablo Zabaleta, Sergio Aguero and Martin Demichelis secured victory at Eastlands on Monday.
 
But the three points came at a cost, with Spain playmaker Silva taken off on a stretcher in the second half after an awkward tangle with West Brom's Morgan Amalfitano.
 
Pellegrini confirmed that Silva, who returned to the side after he missed City's 2-2 draw with Sunderland, will be assessed by the club's medical staff in the next 24 hours.
 
"He has played the last three games with some pain in his ankle," Pellegrini said. "We don't know if that pain has increased or if it is another problem.
 
"We will see with the doctor what happened with David. Hopefully, it will be a short term injury.
 
"He played the last games with pain in his ankle. That is why it was impossible for him to play against Sunderland because after three days he can't recover from his problem.
 
"Now we will see what happens with David. It's the same ankle. His injury started with a kick some weeks ago and every week he plays in the last game with pain."  

Meanwhile Pellegrini insisted this victory showed third-placed City will not let their standards slip during the remainder of the season as they look to maintain the pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea, the two teams above them in the table.
         
"It's exactly the same but we now have three more points," Pellegrini said.
 
"We always talk with the players that if Liverpool win their three matches and win 14 in a row they will be champions," the Chilean added.
 
"But our duty is to try to win the games and in that way Liverpool can feel pressure. We have to do our work and our work is to win our games.
 
"I think we made a very good first 45 minutes (against West Brom). We scored three goals and had more chances to score."   West Brom manager Pepe Mel has urged his players to quickly turn their attention to Saturday's fixture with West Ham United at The Hawthorns as they attempt to avoid relegation.
 
The Baggies showed plenty of fight at Eastlands and pulled a goal back against City with a fine strike from Scotland international Graham Dorrans.
 
However, they remain three points above the drop zone which has increased the importance of their upcoming home match with the Hammers.
 
"It can be the game that can spur us on and gives us that life," Mel said. "It really is the most important game.
 
"I hope the stadium will be really full and the fans can be with us and help us.
 
"City was a very difficult game for us and it became harder after we conceded in the third minute, and were 2-0 down by the 10th. It meant we had to change everything."   The Spaniard also revealed that defender Liam Ridgewell could miss the remainder of the campaign with an ankle injury he suffered against City.
 
"We have the feeling he may go on to miss the rest of the season," Mel added.
 
"We have tests but we have the feeling he might not be able to play. He twisted his ankle and it is in an unstable state."