The 24-year-old Brazil striker came off in the second half at Eastlands yesterday after attempting to score his second goal of the game in a 3-0 hammering of Arsenal.

Robinho went round Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia but then fell akwardly as he tried to find the target.

With matches to come this week against Schalke in the UEFA Cup and perhaps more importantly Manchester United, it was a worrying moment for everyone at City.

However, Hughes went some way to allaying those fears when he said: "Hopefully it is not going to compromise Robinho too long.

"He has gone over on his ankle. It is one of those things that hurts immediately for 30 seconds then calms down quickly. We do not think there is any long-term damage."

Robinho, who cost £32.5 million from Real Madrid in the summer, had extended City's lead with a wonderful goal - his eighth in 11 Barclays Premier League matches.

He took a pass from Shaun Wright-Phillips in his stride then lobbed it over Almunia as the Spaniard advanced.

It was a moment to savour and City clinched victory thanks to a cool penalty from substitute Daniel Sturridge after he had been bundled over by Johan Djourou.

Stephen Ireland made the breakthrough in first-half stoppage-time when he took advantage of a mix-up between Arsenal defenders Gael Clichy and Mikael Silvestre.

The midfielder, who is putting in extra shifts in the gym, has now scored seven goals this season and is in the form of his life, according to Hughes.

"Given the energy Stephen has and the timing of his runs it would not surprise me if he gets into double figures," said the City boss. "He has that drive and purpose to his play.

"He is having an exceptional season and the key is for him to stay consistent. There is no reason why he can't do that."

Hughes was delighted to see his side get back on track and put strife-torn Arsenal to the sword.

He said: "I think it is only the second time in the Premier League we have been able to beat them, so it is a significant victory for us.

"We were good value for the win as well. We had a game plan and wanted to break up the rhythm of their play.

"We did not want them to dictate how the game was going to shape up. The players stuck to their task and caused them problems.

"The key was that we had a defensive platform to build on - we always carry an attacking threat - and we were rock solid at the back."