Crystal Palace 1 Manchester City 2: Yaya Toure is Pep Guardiola’s unlikely hero as Palace suffer late defeat at Selhurst Park

Recalled | Toure was making his first Premier League start of the season
OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP/Getty Images
Giuseppe Muro20 November 2016

Crystal Palace suffered their fifth straight Premier League defeat as Yaya Toure scored twice to send Manchester City joint-top of the Premier League.

Pressure has been building on Alan Pardew after a dismal run but Palace produced a spirited performance at Selhurst Park and this was cruel on them.

Palace looked to have earned a deserved point when Connor Wickham equalised in the second half after Toure had earlier put City ahead in the first half.

But Toure, given his first Premier League appearance of the season by Pep Guardiola, scored an 83rd-minute winner for City.

It was harsh on Palace and, while there was plenty of encouragement from the performance, their worrying run of results continues.

The Eagles sit one point above bottom three and now face a huge game away at Swansea next weekend.

Pardew does not think Palace are in a relegation battle but they need to halt their alarming slide quickly.

City move level on points with Liverpool at the top of the table after they were held at Southampton.

A minute's silence was held before the game in memory of the victims of the Croydon tram crash.

Pardew admitted Palace were under pressure after their defeat at Burnley before the international break but would have been pleased with the way his side started.

They pressed City in possession and made life uncomfortable for visitors during an encouraging opening half-hour.

There were no real chances for either side but City lost captain Vincent Kompany on 35 minutes following a collision with his goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Palace were on top for most of the first half but another defensive mistake meant they went behind after 39 minutes.

Martin Kelly needlessly gave the ball away on the edge of the area before City worked it to Toure and he flashed a shot past Wayne Hennsessey.

It was harsh on Palace but another worrying example of their frailties at the back.

Pardew brought on Wickham for Andros Townsend at half-time and Palace came out with the same intent they had showed for most of the first period.

They had City on the back foot and almost equalised 10 minutes after the break when Christian Benteke had a powerful header saved by Bravo and Wilfried Zaha fired wide on the follow-up.

Palace continued to push and did draw level on 66 minutes.

Zaha fed Wickham inside the area and he beat Pablo Zabaleta and fired home a low shot that was too powerful for Bravo

Less than 60 seconds earlier Hennsessey, in for Steve Mandanda, had produced a brilliant save to deny Aguero from close range before Joel Ward hacked off the line.

The equaliser was no more than Palace had deserved and the Selhurst Park crowd sensed a winner.

But there was a late twist when Toure scored his second from close range.

Jason Puncheon had a chance to equalise in the dying seconds of stoppage time but it was another defeat for Palace.

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