Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini hooked Robinho - after he had entered the game as a substitute - in their 2-0 defeat by Everton.

The Brazilian suffered the ignominy of being substituted after coming off the bench for Roque Santa Cruz, who sustained a calf problem, in Saturday evening's 2-0 defeat by Everton at Goodison Park.

Mancini explained his reasons for bringing on Shaun Wright-Phillips after seeing his side suffer their first defeat in five games in all competitions since he replaced Mark Hughes last month.

He said: "I had (Craig) Bellamy, Benjani (Mwaruwari), (Carlos) Tevez, Robinho - all strikers - so I decided to take one off.

"I needed a different kind of player.

"Is it the end of the line for Robinho? No. He is a good player. Like everyone in the squad he needs to work hard and play well."