City stroll past West Ham

London - Manchester City strengthened their grip on fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 win at home to West Ham on Sunday but at the cost of seeing David Silva carried off on a stretcher.

The influential Spanish playmaker was on the receiving end of what appeared to be an accidental elbow from West Ham's Cheikhou Kouyate midway through the second half and needed lengthy treatment on the field before being taken off the field amid concerns he might miss the rest of the season.

Reigning champions City's hopes of a successful title defence were all but over before last week's 4-2 derby defeat by Manchester United.