Toure’s double lets City draw level with Liverpool
Central women knock South off
Yaya Toure returned to Manchester City’s ranks after a public apology to manager Pep Guardiola and scored twice in a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace that took them to the top of the English Premier League alongside Liverpool.
While Liverpool’s progress was checked by a goalless draw at Southampton, City clambered back level with the Anfield club on 27 points from 12 matches thanks to the double from old favourite Toure whose standoff with Guardiola was quickly forgiven and forgotten.
On an afternoon when Jose Mourinho complained Manchester United were ‘‘the unluckiest team in the Premier League’’ after Arsenal snatched a 1-1 draw with an 89th-minute equaliser at Old Trafford, there was nothing fortunate about City’s victory.
While resting key players before the Champions League clash with Borussia Moenchengladbach this week, Guardiola brought Toure in for his first league appearance of the season after Toure’s apology following comments the player’s agent made about the club and manager. The Ivorian repaid Guardiola’s faith with a 39th-minute run and shot and, after Palace had equalised in the second half, netted an 83rdminute winner.
Liverpool’s recent magisterial progress ended in driving rain at Southampton where, although they extended their unbeaten sequence to 10 games, the league’s top scorers squandered a series of chances.
Arsenal were grateful to extend their unbeaten streak to 17 games in all competitions after a last-gasp header from substitute Olivier Giroud earned them a barely deserved point at Manchester United. Central are finally on the board in the women’s national football league after beating South 2-1 at Memorial Park yesterday.
Central have lost their first four games of the season, but put in a top effort to make sure South remained winless.
There was only one win for the side last year, so to get this result was pleasing for coach Matt Kilsby.
‘‘It’s a lot of pressure for the girls to be able to go through the season,’’ he said. ‘‘They realised they need to be getting a bit more from the first whistle.’’
Kilsby said they worked on playing smarter in the front third when they were on attack, and it paid off on Sunday when they were rewarded with two goals.
The first was scored by cross shot by Tilley James 15 minutes into the game, but then 15 minutes later Central had dropped off slightly and
South levelled the scores. Attacking midfielder TJ Lyne-lewis then scored Central’s second goal, which was the winning of the game.
Central now have a tough away fixture for their last game of the season against Mainland in Christchurch next weekend.
Central defenders Amber Phillips and Kate Bennett both had standout games keeping South at bay, and Lyne-lewis was one of the other stars.