Manchester City face another test of their top-four credentials as they take on league leaders Chelsea on Saturday.
City are stuttering with a record-equalling run of draws. Lately, they were condemned to their seventh in a row by Jimmy Bullard's equaliser at the KC Stadium in a match against Hull City, and they remain three points adrift of fourth place despite having lost just once all season.
However, City will now be determined to return to winning ways in the league and show they can challenge the best sides in the division.
Hughes fielded a strong team against the Gunners and is unlikely to make many changes for the visit of Chelsea.
Mark Hughes, however, has doubts over Craig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland. The pair picked up knee injuries in Wednesday's Carling Cup win over Arsenal and are rated as extremely doubtful.
Vladimir Weiss, who scored his first senior goal in midweek, is also unlikely to figure after being laid low by tonsillitis but Martin Petrov and Nigel de Jong should be available after missing out on the Arsenal triumph.
As Chelsea are on a run of eight straight victories against their fellow blues, the visitors' will start favourites.
However, Blackburn eliminated them from the Carling Cup on penalties, marking a huge dent in league leaders winning streak and established form.
The Blues will want to rediscover the form that saw them cruise to a 3-0 win at Emirates Stadium last Sunday and stay five points clear at the top.
Chelsea arrive having won their last eight games against City, scoring 19 goals in the process and conceding just one
Ashley Cole will return for Chelsea's match with rivals Manchester City.
Cole (hamstring) was missing from Wednesday's Carling Cup loss at Blackburn but will return to a starting XI that is likely to include several changes from the Blackburn defeat.
Salomon Kalou (thigh), Daniel Sturridge (knee), Alex (hip) and Jose Bosingwa (knee) are all unavailable.
REVIEW:
Shay Given saved a late Frank Lampard penalty to give Manchester City a 2-1 win over Chelsea and cut their advantage over United to two points.
Carlos Tevez's brilliant free-kick ultimately proved decisive after Emmanuel Adebayor had inadvertently put Chelsea in front, then cancelled out that own goal himself seven minutes before the interval.
However, that hardly told the story as bad tempered Chelsea went down in a hail of yellow cards - six in all - and skipper John Terry went off with a leg injury that will bring a moment of dread to Fabio Capello even if the damage is not too great.
A lively atmosphere greeted both sides and the players seemed to respond to this in the early stages. Carlos Tevez broke down the right wing and ran past John Terry before crossing into the penalty area. Emmanuel Adebayor ran to the front post but Tevez delivered beyond him and Chelsea managed to clear.
Chelsea’s breakthrough, though, sprang more from luck than good judgment as an unmarked Drogba floated a ball across goal for Branislav Ivanovic, who shot straight at Shay Given. The rebound also fell fortuitously at Given’s feet but at that point the Ireland goalkeeper was out of reprieves, as another parry hit only the back of Adebayor before looping in.
Manchester City responded to conceding the goal by pushing forward, Chelsea defended resolutely until the 36th minute when Wright-Phillips floated a diagonal ball into the box, Petr Czech came to punch but didn't get there as Micah Richards connected with a header. Ricardo Carvalho managed to get a diving header to the ball to divert it away from goal to deny the Mancurian defender.
Chelsea conceded the lead from this corner, though. Cech managed to punch out the initial cross but Wright-Phillips fired the ball back into the box with a viscous strike. The ball deflected off a Manchester City player and ricochetted to Adebayor who stabbed the ball into the bottom left-hand corner beyond the flaying Cech.
Chelsea were in the unusual position of finding themselves physically outmuscled, as a crunching tackle by Nigel de Jong on Deco proved. John Terry sought to respond in kind with a flagrant body-check on Carlos Tévez and received a yellow card for his trouble. Carvalho soon went the same way into Howard Webb’s book for too meaty a follow-up on a Tévez challenge, scraping his studs down the striker’s back.
This lapse, however, was to be far more costly. Tévez lined up the resulting free kick and relished the spectacle of it swerving around the outside of the wall and in. Cech moved far too slowly to his right, but Tévez’s reaction, sliding on his knees in front of the crowing City supporters, was no less ecstatic for that.
Chelsea were looking increasingly desperate as the game entered the final stages, appealing for hand ball every time City blocked a shot or cross. Their desperation looked set to dissipate as Drogba was brought down by Onuoha in the 81st minute. Frank Lampard stepped up and struck a poor penalty into the midriff of Given who had dived to his right.
Drogba had a chance to bag an equaliser after excellent play by Chelsea, Michael Essien fed the ball to Drogba who broke through on goal. The Ivorian sent his shot just wide of the right-hand post, under pressure from his marker.
Terry was substituted in the closing minutes of the game, limping off with an injury to be replaced by Florent Malouda.
Chelsea couldn't break through the City back line, even with five minutes of stoppage time, and Mark Hughes' side sealed a memorable victory at Eastlands.