Yaya, Costa on target
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure emerged from his recent slump to score a superb solo goal that gave the Premier League champions a much-needed 2-1 victory over Swansea at Eastlands on Saturday.
The result ends a run of just one victory in their previous six games for City, who now move on to a crucial Champions League group game against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, a match for which Toure is suspended following his dismissal in City’s last European game against CSKA Moscow.
Toure, who has been in poor form for much of the campaign amid speculation the Ivorian was keen to leave, struck in the 62nd minute, collecting a clever back heel from Fernandinho in his stride and powering to the corner of the six-yard area from where his strike gave the goalkeeper no chance.
A winning goal was no more than third placed City deserved after they recovered strongly from a nervous start, and an opener from Swansea’s Wilfried Bony which was equalised by Stevan Jovetic.
City’s unsteady opening culminated in Swansea taking a deserved lead after nine minutes through a well worked Bony goal.
Comfortable win
In another match, Diego Costa struck his 11th goal in 10 Premier League games as leaders Chelsea cruised to a comfortable 2-0 home win over 10-man West Bromwich Albion.
Costa put the hosts on course for victory in the 11th minute and Eden Hazard added a second in the 25th minute, shortly before Claudio Yacob was dismissed for an ugly, two-footed lunge on Costa.
The one-sided win extended Jose Mourinho’s side’s lead at the head of the table to seven points, 48 hours before second-place Southampton travel to Aston Villa.
And the manner of victory only reinforced the growing consensus that the title is destined to end up at Stamford Bridge next May.
Costa and Cesc Fabregas had both been left out of the Spain squad for the recent international break to allow them to recover from niggling injuries.
Speaking before the game, Mourinho claimed Costa was now free of his hamstring and groin problems and ready to play a full role in the crowded schedule leading up to the turn of the year.
Results:
Stoke City 1 Burnley 1
Chelsea 2 West Brom 0
Everton 2 West Ham 1
Newcsatle 1 QPR 0