An elbow to the throat floors Reid
West Ham’s New Zealand defender Winston Reid was unable to speak, his captain claimed, after copping an elbow to the neck during their 3-1 Premier League defeat to Manchester City.
Reid was left prone on the ground clutching at his throat after he was felled by an elbow from City’s Sergio Aguero who faces a potential three-match ban.
The striker caught West Ham’s central defender in the 76th minute, and Reid had to be substituted after receiving treatment.
West Ham skipper Mark Noble said Reid was left unable to speak properly in the dressing room afterwards. ‘‘I know he couldn’t talk. He said it was because he had got something in the throat.’’
Referee Andre Marriner was close by but did not give a foul and it appeared after the Sunday night match that he was unaware of any violent conduct.
The Football Association are likely to look at retrospective punishment should Marriner claim he did not see the incident, the Daily Mail reported.
A suspension would see Aguero miss the Manchester derby with Jose Mourinho’s United at Old Trafford on September 10, another Premier League game against Bournemouth before a trip to Swansea.
‘‘I didn’t see it, so I cannot comment,’’ City manager Pep Guardiola said. ‘‘Hopefully nothing happens. If it happens, we accept and adapt. If we lose him, we lose him. We are [still] going to play with 11.’’
Manchester City’s 3-1 win was sealed by a Raheem Sterling double and a Fernandinho header as the champions of 2012 and 2014 went top of the table.
Superior goal difference took them above Chelsea and neighbours Manchester United, who have also won their three opening games.
Having scored twice in the first 18 minutes through Sterling and Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, Guardiola’s team appeared set for an easy three points, only to be pegged back as the London side improved after halftime.
Michail Antonio reduced the deficit in the 58th minute but Sterling scored his second goal in stoppage time from an acute angle.
For his third league game in charge of City, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager again picked Willy Caballero in goal rather than Joe Hart, and the Argentine was not troubled for almost an hour until Antonio’s unexpected intervention.
In the meantime, Sterling scored his first goal of the season following a fine move and Fernandinho added his first in the league since the same weekend last year.
He was left completely unmarked to head in Kevin de Bruyne’s free kick as goalkeeper Adrian glared at his defence.
Bilic’s side, again weakened by injuries and unable to use new loan signing Simone Zaza from Juventus, employed three centre halves plus wing backs, but defended poorly against City’s fluent attacking.
In the second half, Bilic pushed Antonio further forward and he headed in a cross by Arthur Masuaku. City briefly looked nervous but in the last few minutes David Silva hit a post and Sterling made the victory safe.
In the other game yesterday, Middlesbrough maintainedtheir unbeaten start to life back in the Premier League by drawing 0-0 at West Bromwich Albion. Middlesbrough has five points from three games.