YAYA Toure returned from his Manchester City exile to inspire a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace that maintains their pursuit of the Premier League title.

The midfielder was a surprise inclusion in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI – making his first Premier League appearance of the season – and justified his selection by scoring each of the goals that brought them level on 27 points with league leaders Liverpool.

Substitute Connor Wickham’s second-half finish briefly took Palace level. Toure then responded by delivering the statement he needed when scoring second-placed City’s winning goal to ensure Palace would suffer a fifth successive defeat.

Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (C) celebrates with Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (L) and Manchester City’s Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho (R) after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Selhurst Park in south London on November 19, 2016. Manchester City won the game 2-1. AFP

The midfielder’s unexpected place in City’s line-up – his only previous first-team appearance this season came in their 1-0 Champions League defeat of Steaua Bucharest on August 24 – followed his recent apology for “misunderstandings of the past”.

His agent Dimitri Seluk had been vocal in his criticism of Guardiola, who he said had “humiliated” Toure by omitting him from their Champions League squad.

There was also a rare start for long-serving captain Vincent Kompany, but the defender only lasted until the 37th minute when a suspected head injury – team-mate Claudio Bravo clattered him when each challenged for the ball – meant he was replaced by Pablo Zabaleta.

Palace manager Alan Pardew responded at half-time by replacing Andros Townsend with Wickham and was rewarded when his team produced a greater intensity and Christian Benteke threatened with a header.