Manchester City 3 Newcastle United 1: Richards has world at his feet, says City team-mate Lescott

Richards produced a man-of-the-match display in Saturday’s win over previously unbeaten Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.

A constant threat with his overlapping bursts, Richards scored City’s second and then played a pivotal role in a match-sealing second penalty when he was bundled over by Hatem Ben Arfa. It is the type of form Richards has been producing all season yet England manager Fabio Capello seems strangely unmoved by such displays.

Manchester United duo Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have both been shifted out of more natural central positions to occupy Richards’s favoured slot on Euro 2012 duty this season.

And the return from injury of Glen Johnson, plus the inclusion of Tottenham’s Kyle Walker, meant Richards was not even picked in the squad for recent wins over Spain and Sweden.

The reason for Richards’s omission remains something of a mystery.

However, Lescott has no doubts over the 23-year-old’s ability.

“Micah has been in immense form all season,” the City defender said. “His confidence is really high. He is in the best form of his career and has the world at his feet.

“I would say he is the best right-back in the league just now. If he continues this form he will be the best in the world.”

City might have just posted eye-watering losses of £194.9m, but on the field they look more like champions with every passing week. Yet again they scored three times, taking their overall tally to 42 in 12 games, of which they have won 11.

In Jose Mourinho’s first season as Chelsea boss, the one Sir Alex Ferguson talks of as being when the bar was raised significantly for Manchester United, the Londoners reached the same stage with five fewer points and 25 fewer goals.

The statistics are almost outrageous, so superior are they to anything that has gone before.

Yet City manager Roberto Mancini is refusing to get carried away.

“We know that the season is long and probably we will arrive at a moment when we lose,” he said. “Every three days we have a match at the moment and December and January is going to be a crucial time. Winning then will be really important.”

Mancini dismissed injury concerns over Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero, insisting both men were just suffering from tiredness after draining internationals.

Aguero, who only arrived back from South America on Thursday, wrapped up City’s win with their second penalty following the foul on Richards.

Mario Balotelli had opened the scoring with the Blues’ first spot-kick after Ryan Taylor had handled Toure’s shot.

Taylor’s error gifted Richards a second and although Alan Pardew’s previously unbeaten Magpies had chances, by the time Dan Gosling found the net, the game was lost.

But Pardew remains full of confidence ahead of next weekend’s trip to face the champions at Old Trafford.

“I have no fear going to Manchester United after seeing that (performance),” said Pardew.