Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes the absence of key personnel contributed to his side's defeat to Chelsea on Monday night.
City had won each of their previous 11 league fixtures at the Etihad Stadium before a first-half Branislav Ivanovic strike inflicted their first home defeat of the season. Their only other loss at the Etihad this season came at the hands of European champions Bayern Munich.
They enjoyed the majority of possession against Chelsea, but it was the visitors who possessed the greater cutting edge.
Having weathered early pressure from the home side, Chelsea took the lead in the 32nd minute when Serbian defender Ivanovic bludgeoned home a low drive and the visitors went on to hit the woodwork on three occasions.
City's preparations were upset by the loss of Brazilian holding midfielder Fernandinho to injury, with Argentine centre-back Martin Demichelis proving an unsteady replacement.
The hosts were also without midfielders Samir Nasri and Javi Garcia and top scorer Sergio Aguero due to injury, and Pellegrini felt that their absences were telling.
"Of course, (Fernandinho) is a very important player for us," he said. "Not only Fernandinho; you must add Samir Nasri, Aguero, Javi Garcia, because (if) Fernandinho can't play, Javi Garcia can play in his position.
"(James) Milner was not 100 percent, neither was Alvaro Negredo. And it's too much advantage for a team as important as Chelsea."
On Fernandinho's injury, he added: "Fernandinho has a muscle injury. We'll see tomorrow (Tuesday) how long is it, but maybe a pair of weeks, three or four weeks."
City had not failed to score in a home league match since a 0-0 draw with Birmingham City in November 2010, but Pellegrini played down the significance of his side's setback.
"For Chelsea it was a decisive game, not for us," he said. "If we won, we were six points ahead of them. Now we are two points behind Arsenal. We have 39 points to play for.
"Nobody is thinking about records. We are just thinking about winning the games."
