Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini hopes a week of rest can help kick-start his team's season after a lacklustre victory over Swansea featured a worrying injury to defender Micah Richards.
The versatile former England international was stretchered off after collapsing in agony and receiving treatment to his knee, an injury that followed Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm also being carried off after tearing his groin.
The Dutchman was injured while trying to keep out Carlos Tevez's 61st-minute shot, the only goal of a game that brought Manchester City victory after the disappointment of their Champions League loss to Ajax last week.
Vorm will be out for four to six weeks with the injury, missing a League Cup tie at Liverpool on Wednesday and a league game against Chelsea at the weekend.
The two serious injuries meant that referee Martin Atkinson played 12 minutes of injury time, making this the longest game in Premier League history.
"Micah has a problem with his knee," Mancini said. "I don't know the situation but probably it is bad. I hope not but I don't know. He was tired because it was his third game in 10 days."