Manuel Pellegrini said it was vital to bounce back from Manchester City’s two consecutive defeats after the 2-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday, with further relief arriving when David Silva, carried off on a stretcher during the match, confirmed his injury was not serious.
City’s victory took the champions to 64 points and only one behind third-placed Manchester United, after Louis van Gaal’s side’s defeat at Chelsea on Saturday. The win also arrested a slump that has seen them fall from joint-top with Chelsea on New Year’s Day to fourth position.
“I think it was very important for our team to win,” said Pellegrini. “It was important to be a consistent team and we played especially well until the injury to David – that was a distraction. We are a consistent team. In other games we play minutes, today I think we played the whole game.”
Good news also came two hours after the game from Silva, who had been taken to hospital after a collision with Cheikhou Kouyaté. “Many thanks to all the messages of support, all the tests have gone well and I’m already home. The 3 points is what was important!, ” he tweeted. The Spaniard had been carried off and needed an oxygen mask before going for x-rays.
