Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder and captain Yaya Toure (2R) vies with Crystal Palace's English defender Joel Ward (R) and Crystal Palace's English defender Scott Dann (2L) during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on January 16, 2016. AFP 

MANCHESTER: Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City got their Premier League title challenge back on course with an emphatic 4-0 win over Crystal Palace at a snowy Etihad Stadium yesterday.

Aguero's goals, which took his total for the season to 13, came in each half as City made up for their midweek blank against Everton when they failed to score in a home Premier League match for the first time in 12 months.

Fabian Delph and David Silva scored either side of Aguero's double as Manuel Pellegrini's side recorded a seventh successive home win against the Londoners to go to the top of the table before Leicester's late kick-off at Aston Villa on Saturday and Arsenal's match at Liverpool today.

Palace had failed to score in their previous four league games-their leanest run in the Premier League since 1998 -- but should have ended their drought inside the first two minutes as they looked to make amends for a 5-1 drubbing at the Etihad in the League Cup in October.

Defender Damien Delaney stayed up in attack following a corner but, from Connor Wickham's excellent cross, the Palace captain failed to beat Joe Hart with a header no more than eight yards out. That miss proved costly as City went in front 20 minutes later through the unlikely figure of Delph.

The England international, given just his third league start of the season with Fernandinho still injured and Yaya Toure rested on the bench, and justified his inclusion with only the 11th league goal of his career.

City's frustration at failing to find a way through a well-drilled Palace defence was just starting to show when Delph cut in and fired a low, long-range shot into the bottom corner from almost 35 yards, which goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey allowed to skid under his dive.

That should have given City a measure of control but just two minutes later Hart almost let that slip when his careless clearance went straight into the back of James McArthur

DEFLECTION

The ball dropped for Delaney but at full stretch the centre-back, a constant threat from set-pieces, hooked his effort just wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Hart did better when turning a Yohan Cabaye free-kick round the post as Palace continued to push for an equaliser but four minutes before half-time City went 2-0 up.

Aguero, who had not scored at the Etihad since November, saw his 25-yard shot deflected in via the head of Palace's Scott Dann, the defender's attempted clearance wrong-footing Hennessey.

City were forced into a change seven minutes into the second half when Aleksandar Kolarov went off with a leg injury, Gael Clichy replacing him at left-back.

Pellegrini didn't wait much longer to make a tactical switch as Kelechi Iheanacho, who had scored in both of City's previous wins over Palace this season, was replaced by Toure following a frustrating afternoon for the young forward.

City still weren't entirely comfortable as Palace kept forcing them back but Toure quickly made his mark as the hosts put the result beyond doubt.

From City's best move of the match, Silva, Aguero and Toure all combined before Kevin De Bruyne pulled the ball back for Aguero to tap in and make it 3-0.

Palace replied with a long-range effort from Yohan Cabaye which flew just wide but they knew they were a beaten side. And they conceded a fourth goal with six minutes left as City finished in style. Aguero was again involved as he led a break-away before calmly squaring the ball for Silva, who scored his first league goal since the opening day of the season. - AFP

Aston Villa's French midfielder Aly Cissokho (R) vies with Leicester City's Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki during the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Leicester City at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England on January 16, 2016. AFP

Leicester go top despite missed Mahrez penalty

BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede came off the bench to dent Leicester's Premier League title challenge as his second half equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw for the bottom club yesterday.

Although Leicester moved one point clear of second placed Manchester City, Claudio Ranieri's side left Villa Park frustrated their lead wasn't more significant after Gestede's first goal since September cancelled out a first half opener from Japan striker Shinji Okazaki.

The Foxes should have been out of sight by the time Gestede equalised and they paid the price for a series of misses, with Riyad Mahrez especially culpable after his first half penalty was saved by Mark Bunn. Third placed Arsenal can regain pole position if they draw or win at Stoke today.

This was another encouraging performance for Villa after a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in midweek gave Remi Garde his first three points as Villa boss and secured their first league victory since the opening day of the season. But Garde's team need points rather than plaudits and they remain rooted to the bottom of the table, with a nine-point gap to make up if they are avoid dropping into the second tier for the first time since 1988. Robert Huth had been Leicester's match-winner at Tottenham in midweek, but the German defender almost gifted Villa the opening goal when his miscued clearance allowed Libor Kozak to surge clear for a low shot that Kasper Schmeichel saved at his near post.

That was far from Schmeichel's only significant contribution as his booming kick downfield helped the visitors take the lead in the 28th minute. Jamie Vardy alertly peeled away from Villa's dozing defence to meet the long ball with a superb lob that caught Bunn off his line. Bunn managed to make an acrobatic back pedalling save, but Okazaki followed up to slot home from close-range despite the goalkeeper's attempt to keep it out, with goalline technology confirming the ball had crossed for his fourth league goal of the season.

FORTUITOUS

Ranieri's side had a golden opportunity to double their lead four minutes later when a flowing move cut through the Villa defence and ended with a penalty after Mahrez's shot was blocked by the sliding Aly Cissokho's raised arm.

Despite missing from the spot earlier this month Mahrez took the penalty himself, but the Algeria winger's slightly too casual strike down the middle was close to Bunn and the Villa goalkeeper made the save. Cissokho tested Schmeichel with a stinging shot early in the second half before Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater's dipping long-range effort drew a fine tip over from Bunn.

Villa appealed in vain for a penalty when Huth swung an arm into Kozak's face, while Drinkwater threatened again when he flicked wide from Vardy's cross. There was more menace about Villa's attacks now and Garde sent on Gestede in the 67th minute to add further thrust to the forward line. The switch paid rich dividends eight minutes later when Gestede equalised in fortuitous circumstances.

First he got away with the ball bouncing off his arm and then benefitted from a Huth clearance that hit him in the groin. Those two lucky breaks presented the Benin striker with the opportunity for a shot that deflected off West Morgan and past Schmeichel. - AFP

Cherries on top against Norwich

BOURNEMOUTH: Bournemouth returned to winning ways as a 3-0 victory at home to fellow strugglers Norwich City yesterday saw them move five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

Dan Gosling's first-half header and a Charlie Daniels penalty after half time put the Cherries, who lost 3-1 at home to West Ham in midweek, 2-0 up before recent signing Benik Afobe sealed victory 15 minutes from time with his first top-flight goal.

What was just Bournemouth's sixth win in 22 league matches so far this season saw Eddie Howe's side move above Norwich and into 15th place in the table. Meanwhile the Canaries' seventh defeat in eight away league matches left them four points above the bottom three. Bournemouth were rewarded for their early dominance when Gosling gave the south coast club a 10th-minute lead in front of their own fans at Dean Court.

Marc Pugh, in for the injured Matt Ritchie, swung in a cross and Gosling headed into the bottom corner from close range. Bournemouth then had appeals for a penalty rejected when Daniels went down inside the area.

Referee Bobby Madley angered the home support again with another contentious decision. Afobe, chasing a through ball, was brought down on the edge of the area by Norwich goalkeeper Declan Rudd.

But with two Canaries defenders in close attendance, Madley showed Rudd a yellow rather than a red card. Early in the second half, Pugh demonstrated good skill to weave his way through a retreating defence only to shoot straight at Rudd.

Pugh then played a key role as Bournemouth doubled their lead when, after he was pulled back inside the box. Madley awarded the Cherries a 54th-minute penalty. Daniels's spot-kick then beat Rudd with the aid of a deflection off the right post to make it 2-0.

Afobe, 22, who joined Bournemouth last week for a reported club record fee of £10 million ($14.5 million, 13.3 million euros) from second-tier Wolves having proved himself a prolific scorer in lower league English football, put the result beyond doubt in the 75th minute.

Daniels's precise cross arrived at the feet of the striker and Afobe, a former Arsenal youngster, powered in a shot from close range in what was just his second Premier League appearance after he made his Bournemouth debut against West Ham. - AFP