David Silva was carted off the field in Manchester City's 2-0 win on Sunday against West Ham with injuries to his cheekbone and collarbone.
Silva was caught by the flailing arm of Cheikhou Kouyaté on 66 minutes and required eight minutes of treatment. The Spaniard was carried off on a stretcher and needed an oxygen mask before going for X-rays. He later tweeted that he had already been given the all clear to return home.
Manuel Pellegrini offered no complaints about the challenge of Kouyaté. “I always think that a player doesn’t want to damage another player. The referee was so near and he decided it was unintentional. Nothing more happens,” he said.
The West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce, concurred. “It was accidental. It was innocuous. I didn’t think it was a foul. I just had a look now. Everybody thinks it is a more serious attack from Cheikhou than it was. It wasn’t deliberate at all.”