Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League

Yaya Toure was the big hero for Manchester City during Saturday's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the 2016-17 Premier League, scoring both goals on his return to the squad.

The Ivorian gave the Citizens the lead in the first half, but Connor Wickham deservedly tied things up for Palace after the break.

Toure struck again with seven minutes left to play, however, celebrating his return to the starting XI in style.

As shared by City's official Twitter account, manager Pep Guardiola finally gave Toure his first Premier League start of the season:

Guardiola's revamped starting XI struggled to get going against the Eagles, however. From the opening minute, the hosts were the better team, with the Citizens looking sluggish in midfield and their combinations.

The fans at Selhurst Park watched on as their team put pressure on the visitors early, and Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News could barely get a view of the pitch:

Fernandinho made a vital stop on Wilfried Zaha, who skipped past his marker far too easily, and the Brazilian midfielder was kept busy. On the other side of the pitch, Raheem Sterling tried to pick out Nolito with a pass after a great dribbling move.

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Chances were few in the opening stages, and to make matters worse for City, star defender Vincent Kompany suffered yet another injury before the half-hour mark. The Belgian collided with Claudio Bravo while defending a high ball and immediately collapsed to the ground. While he tried to carry on, it quickly became clear he was far from OK, and he eventually wobbled toward the sidelines again.

Per Rogers Sportsnet's James Sharman, he showed all the signs of a concussion:

City improved as the half wore on, and Sergio Aguero almost diverted a low cross into the net. It was Toure who broke the deadlock, however, playing a clever one-two with Nolito before smashing home a textbook finish.

Bleacher Report UK dusted off this old meme to celebrate the occasion:

Wayne Hennessey gave Kevin De Bruyne another look on goal late in the half after a poor back pass saw him work the ball to the Belgian, but the chance came to naught, and the score remained 1-0 heading into half-time.

Wickham made his way on to the pitch at half-time as the Eagles changed tactics, and early on, the hosts were far more threatening. They also got lucky when Jason Puncheon tripped up Pablo Zabaleta away from the ball, a foul that could have resulted in a red card but went unpunished.

As shared by Goal's Sam Lee, Zabaleta was furious:

Christian Benteke came close to scoring after 56 minutes, with Puncheon firing in a great cross and Bravo somehow keeping out his header. The former Liverpool man got to a high ball again just minutes later, but once again, Bravo kept his net clean.

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City were playing with fire as Palace continued to improve, although Aguero had an effort cleared off the line on a rare counter. Substitute Wickham struck after 66 minutes to hand his team the deserved equaliser, creating some space and smashing home.

Per Sky Sports Statto, the forward loves taking on City:

David Silva was introduced to turn things around for City, but Guardiola decided against bringing on Kelechi Iheanacho immediately as well. The decision was a questionable one, and City barely threatened Palace's goal as their final assault began.

Zabaleta couldn't pick out a team-mate with a cross before Toure completed his remarkable comeback, however, as he was left all alone in the box to give his team the lead again.

OLLY GREENWOOD/Getty Images

The Ivorian went down with an apparent injury shortly after, but he returned to the pitch as soon as play restarted, to the fury of the home crowd. City did a fantastic job sucking all of the tempo out of the contest, holding on to their lead and the three points.

As shared by Sam Tighe of Bleacher Report, Guardiola confirmed after the match Toure is in his plans moving forward:

City's next match will be at Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League, while Crystal Palace visit Swansea City in the Premier League on November 26.