Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini allayed fears that his striker Sergio Aguero has suffered a serious injury after he was taken off in his side's 4-1 win at Stoke.
The Premier League champions returned to winning ways after their disappointing home draw against Hull last Saturday, but there were fears that leading striker Aguero may have suffered another injury with games against Newcastle, Barcelona and Liverpool on City's horizon.
"He felt some problem in his back," confirmed Pellegrini when asked about Aguero. "I don't think it is a serious problem. We will see tomorrow."
The City manager went on to suggest Aguero, who scored twice in the match, needs to maintain his fitness levels after missing large chunks of this season, as he is improving his form with each games he plays.
"If he plays more, he will improve his performance," he continued. "He comes back to the team after more than one month injured and every player needs minutes to return to their normal performance.
"Every game he plays, he improved a little bit more and to score is a big help."
Pellegrini was delighted with his side's level of performance after some less-than-convincing displays of late, on a night when they rediscovered their goal scoring touch.
"It was a big, big victory because it was a tough team and especially in their stadium," said Pellegrini.
"We never believed we would score four goals because it is very difficult to do that against Stoke. I think that we play very well and returned to our normal performance. We worked the whole game with high intensity.
"We concentrate on ourselves. If Chelsea lose points it is better for us, but we are trying to return to be a good team, a solid team as we start the Champions League again soon.
"It is very important to arrive for the next game against Newcastle [on February 21] with the trust that this game gives our team."