London: Manchester City trimmed Premier League leaders Chelsea’s advantage to three points by beating Everton 1-0 on Saturday, but at the cost of an injury to talisman Sergio Aguero.
Chelsea lost their unbeaten record after losing 2-1 at Newcastle United earlier in the day and defending champions City took advantage by beating Everton thanks to Yaya Toure’s first-half penalty.
But the sight of Aguero limping off in tears after injuring his left knee in the early exchanges raised stark fears for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, who face a crucial trip to Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The game at the Etihad Stadium was only a matter of minutes old when top scorer Aguero tumbled under a challenge from Muhamed Besic, and he hobbled down the tunnel shortly after.
City made the breakthrough in the 24th minute, with Toure finding the bottom-left corner from the spot after Phil Jagielka was adjudged to have impeded James Milner.
The visitors improved after Ross Barkley came on, but City goalkeeper Joe Hart produced a stunning one-handed save to thwart Romelu Lukaku and safeguard a fifth successive win in all competitions.
