Source: Man_City
Lescott hit by injury blow
Joleon Lescott suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up of the 2-1 win over Fulham and will have a scan to determine the extent of the problem. And the defender looks set to miss out on the visit of Everton in what would have been his first game against his former club since a controversial £22m move from Goodison Park. City boss Roberto Mancini said Lescott will have the scan before the crucial clash on Wednesday. "Joleon had a problem before the game in the warm-up, a muscle," said Mancini. "I think he can't play against Everton. At the moment I don't know how long he'll be out. He'll have a scan." Despite Lescott's absence, City were ahead at Craven Cottage through Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez before the break, then they held on for victory after Danny Murphy pulled a goal back from the penalty spot. Referee Lee Probert then turned down another penalty appeal when Chris Baird's cross struck Vincent Kompany, meaning City moved into fifth place and will be in the Champions League places if they defeat Everton at Eastlands on Wednesday. "It was an important win," Mancini said. "Here, against Fulham, it's difficult. They're a good team and have a good manager. "It was important for us, but it'll be a fight until the end of the season with the other three teams. Liverpool are a fantastic team, and I think we must fight with them, Aston Villa and Tottenham." Fulham suffered a European hangover after defeating Juventus in the Europa League on Thursday, although Roy Hodgson was pleased with his side's response in the second half. "I thought the team did remarkably well to come back and had much the better of the second half and came close to an equaliser," said the Fulham boss. "There was a great chance for (Stefano) Okaka that he unfortunately missed, and a penalty appeal that might have led to a second penalty. "City were much happier to hear the final whistle than we were. We'd have played another 15 minutes, even with a big game on Wednesday." Hodgson took off Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera early in the second half in preparation for the FA Cup quarter-final replay against Tottenham on Wednesday. He is also hoping that Brede Hangeland will have recovered from a chest problem. "Hangeland is injured but hopefully fit for Wednesday," he said. "(John) Pantsil is a long way away, weeks."| Submit Comments| Comments (4)| PrintWhat's this? Emaildel.icio.usDiggredditFacebookStumbleUponNewsvineGoogle BookmarksNetscapeTechnoratiWindows LiveYahoo! MyWebMa.gnolia
