Yaya Toure opens scoring for Manchester City (Video)

In his first league start of the season under Pep Guardiola, Yaya Toure gave Manchester City the lead against Crystal Palace.

Yaya Toure has been a forgotten man at Manchester City since the arrival of Pep Guardiola in the summer. The Spanish manager had a public disagreement with Toure’s agent, demanding an apology for what Guardiola perceived to be some disrespectful comments.

The off-field soap opera seems to have been forgotten, however, and Toure was named in the starting XI against Crystal Palace, a tricky opponent away from home. Palace started well, frustrating City, who had to deal with the further difficulty of watching captain Vincent Kompany substituted after sustaining an injury in a nasty collision with keeper Claudio Bravo.

Toure eventually repaid his manager’s faith late in the first half, finishing an excellent City move into the roof of the net.

City are hoping to regain their spot at the top of the Premier League table, a position they relinquished in their last match before the international break after drawing with Middlesbrough at home.

A win would move them onto 27 points, one more than Liverpool and Chelsea’s totals at the beginning of the day. The Reds will hold onto top spot with a win against Southampton, while Chelsea face Middlesbrough Sunday.

Things are going less smoothly for Palace, who have slipped down the table and right in the thick of the relegation battle in recent weeks. The’ve lost four in a row in the league, to West Ham, Leicester, Liverpool and Burnley. They may not have expected much from a match against City, but a fifth consecutive loss would place manager Alan Pardew in a very difficult position.

The first half ended with City in the lead. They’ll be confident of finishing the job, but after watching his side concede a late equalizer in their last match against Middlesbough, Guardiola will be cautious.