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Yaya Touré prises open Aston Villa defence to earn Manchester City win Yaya Touré prises open Aston Villa defence to earn Manchester City win
(about 2 hours later)
This was a fine time for Yaya Touré to end his drought. Stalemate was beckoning for Manchester City along with the prospect of slipping eight points behind Chelsea on Sundaywhen their talisman provided a reminder of his prowess last season. In an instant, Manchester City were transported back to last season. Yaya Touré was scoring again, the supporters were singing his name and Manuel Pellegrini’s team were producing the sort of result that served as a reminder why they became champions in the first place. Frustration has been a familiar feeling for them in a stuttering title defence and, after 81 minutes, a second stalemate of the embryonic campaign beckoned.
Then he became the second central-midfielder in the Premier League era to reach 20 goals in a campaign. His first in the top flight of the current campaign was a way of signalling a welcome return to form and, along with Sergio Agüero’s late second goal, ended Aston Villa’s resilience. Then Touré intervened. Twenty yards out, confronted by a phalanx of defenders, he accepted Fernando’s pass and bent his shot between Alan Hutton and Philippe Senderos. Aston Villa’s resistance was ended. So, with it, was Touré’s drought. His previous league goal came against the same opponents in May; it was a landmark strike, making the Ivorian only the second central midfielder of the Premier League era to register 20 in a season, a formidable achievement that was followed by a fallow period.
For Villa, it completed a quartet of fixtures against last season’s top four. Victory at Anfield was followed by defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea. Their task against City was rendered tougher when Gabriel Agbonlahor was a late withdrawal after being injured in the warm-up. Andreas Weimann, who had been demoted to the bench, was swiftly restored to the team. It meant he was the only man in the Villa line-up who began with a goal to his name this season. They started as a statistical oddity, a team with more points than shots on target. A belated first against top-flight opposition in five months brought the loudest chorus of Touré’s name in that time. If relations were soured over the summer by the unnecessary furore his agent, Dimitri Seluk, created, with his bizarre accusation that City did not even provide a cake to celebrate his client’s birthday, they are undergoing a repair now. His goal might be said to represent the icing on the cake for Pellegrini, who handled a difficult situation diplomatically. “I think it was a misunderstanding,” the Chilean claimed, downplaying the farrago in typical fashion and attributing Touré’s substandard start to the season to the summer loss of his brother, Ibrahim.
Their initial priority was to prevent the champions from directing efforts at Brad Guzan’s goal. Nathan Baker distinguished himself by blocking Touré’s shot before a sliding Ashley Westwood inserted himself into the path of Agüero’s attempt. The rebound fell to Aleksandar Kolarov and the Serbian let fly with typical ferocity from an acute angle, striking the outside of the post. A goal marked a return to form. Perhaps as significantly, a midfielder often accused of neglecting his defensive duties had slid in to make a fine block and take the sting off Andreas Weimann’s shot on one of Villa’s few attacks. “He can be criticised for one or two weeks but I know perfectly the way he thinks and the way he can play so I never had a problem about that,” added Pellegrini. City’s problems were diminishing by the time Sergio Agüero delivered his sixth goal of the season, the Argentinean rifling in a shot after he was found by James Milner.
If the raiding left-back was one threat, another, predictably was Agüero, who proved typically elusive. Yet Villa remained resilient, despite a flurry of chances on the stroke of half-time. Each involved James Milner, who spent three seasons in these parts. He had a shot deflected into the side-netting before, from his corner, Kolarov, too, was denied by a defensive touch. Then, from another well-worked set-piece, Milner found David Silva, whose cross was hacked off the line by Aly Cissokho. “For 81 minutes, the lads were excellent,” stated Paul Lambert, the Aston Villa manager. It was a day when his defence and the woodwork were allies in an admirable rearguard action. Brad Guzan did not have a save to make until the second half, but his back four were overworked. Nathan Baker produced a masterclass in defensive defiance, excelling with a series of blocks to cap his renaissance, and Aly Cissokho hacked off his line to deny Edin Dzeko. It was the culmination of a well-worked set-piece, with Milner finding David Silva, who crossed for the Bosnian.
Villa tend to be content to operate on the counterattack in such fixtures, a method that brought them victory against City 12 months ago and a ploy that almost worked as Charles N’Zogbia spun away from Fernandinho and sprinted into space as the visitors’ defence backed off. Still unchallenged, the Frenchman unleashed a shot that just missed the far post. It was another indication of the Englishman’s influence. Milner was the instigator of many of City’s finer chances, playing with trademark persistence and no little skill. One pass, when Agüero hit the base of the upright, was Silva-esque. It was the second time City had hit the post. Aleksandar Kolarov clipped it with a typically ferocious shot from an acute angle.
If, at times, 10 of Paul Lambert’s players were camped in their own half with Weimann the lone outlet, they were offered encouragement when others did venture forward. Fabian Delph robbed Vincent Kompany to find Weimann. Touré took the sting out of the Austrian’s shot with a sliding challenge. So often criticised for neglecting his defensive duties, the Ivorian excelled when required. “I was thinking that this was not our day,” Pellegrini confessed. But his side were relentless. It amounted to a fine response to difficulty. Silva grew in prominence in the final half-hour as Guzan became busier and Villa could not quite hang on.
Villa’s fondness for the quick break was illustrated immediately after City almost opened the scoring. Milner played the sort of pass more commonly associated with Silva, threading a ball through the Villa defence for Agüero. The Argentinian angled his shot across Guzan. His radar was only fractionally awry as it struck the inside of the post and Villa surged away, N’Zogbia picking out Kieran Richardson, who was denied by Joe Hart. They adopted their tried-and-trusted tactics against the elite, of playing without possession and springing quick counter-attacks. It was a ploy that threatened to work as Charles N’Zogbia spun away from Fernandinho and sprinted 40 yards to unleash a shot that whistled past the post. Then, seconds after Agüero struck wood, N’Zogbia released Kieran Richardson, who was thwarted by Joe Hart. “If you get a chance, you have to take it,” said Lambert, whose side have still only scored four league goals.
It was a sign the game was becoming more open. City were equipped with more attacking personnel, too, when Fernandinho hobbled off and Frank Lampard replaced him. Manuel Pellegrini then changed tack again and brought on Fernando for Dzeko. At least Christian Benteke returned as a substitute after six months on the sidelines with a ruptured Achilles tendon. However, an attacking boost followed a striking disappointment, as the ill Gabby Agbonlahor pulled out after the warm up, and fortune has not favoured them. “I have never known a run like this,” said the Scot, whose side have faced last season’s top four in consecutive games. “The fixtures have been pretty unkind.”
The most popular substitution, however, was made by his Villa counterpart. Christian Benteke’s return after six months out with a ruptured Achilles was greeted by a deafening ovation. His absence has provided some explanation of Villa’s struggles to score.
The visitors’ set-piece prowess brought another opportunity when Kolarov’s corner was met by Eliaquim Mangala with a thumping header. Having scored an own goal last week, he was denied a first strike for his new club by the alert Guzan. When even Lampard shot straight at Guzan, it seemed it was not City’s day.
Touré and Agüero, who rifled in a 20-yard shot after being found by Milner, ensured otherwise.