The left-back was stretchered off in the second half after colliding with Belletti, but manager Mark Hughes has reported that after initially looking to have been seriously hurt, the player may only be out in the short-term.
Hughes said, “Wayne has opened up his medial ligaments, it could be a couple of weeks for him but we hope it’s nothing more serious.”
Micah Richards was another to leave the fray during Saturday’s intense and dramatic game, but he also is not thought to be a serious injury concern.
“Micah gets discomfort in his knee on occasions,” added Hughes, “his cartilage can nip him at times. If he twists his knee in a certain direction it compromises him, so if that happens he has to come off. Hopefully that will settle down.”
The fans have really driven us on, they understand what we are trying to do. We had huge support on Wednesday which I thought would never be surpassed, but it was and I thought they were magnificent.
...The boss thanks the fans...
Reflecting on a satisfying night’s work, the boss was purring over a committed performance both on and off the pitch.
“It was a great day, a fantastic performance by the guys. We’ve been right on the money in the last few games, but we showed that you have to put a huge effort in to turn good performances into winning performances Each and every player worked exceptionally hard to make sure we won the game.
“There were huge performances right through the team, and going behind to a team as accomplished as Chelsea is a big test. Your mentality and belief has to help you get something out of a game against the bigger sides in this league, but we never wavered. That was on the back of a difficult game on Wednesday, where we showed a lot of energy and emotion.
“I was a bit concerned about that, but I did not make wholesale changes as it’s important to keep core elements of the team together. I thought they might fade a bit today, but they never did and they were magnificent. Fitness-wise and mentality-wise, we’re in good shape.
“The fans have really driven us on, they understand what we are trying to do. If they see players in their shirt running and working hard for their team, and putting their necks on the line, they will respond to that. We had huge support on Wednesday which I thought would never be surpassed, but it was and I thought they were magnificent.”
