Man City go level on points with Chelsea

Silva, Toure take reigning EPL champions past Palace; Man Utd held by Villa; QPR stage stunning comeback against WBA.

Silva scored two second-half goals to put City on track [Getty Images]

David Silva came to the rescue of a strikerless Manchester City with two goals in a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace that drew them level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.

Silva eased an increasingly tense atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium when he broke the deadlock shortly after halftime and put an efficient victory to bed with his second goal shortly afterwards. Yaya Toure emphatically smashed home a late third.

The victory moved City level on 39 points with Chelsea, who face Stoke City on Monday, and added spice to a title race that only recently had looked to be a one-horse race.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa ended Manchester United’s six-match winning streak in the league with a fiercely contested 1-1 draw at Villa Park.

Christian Benteke fired Villa ahead after 18 minutes but United fought back and leveled in the second half when Radamel Falcao headed in from a cross by former Villa forward Ashley Young.

Charlie Austin scored a hat trick to lead QPR to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory, extending the London club’s good home form. West Brom led 2-0 after just 20 minutes but Austin started the host’s comeback with a penalty. He equalised with a close-range effort in the 48th and then snatched the win with a header from the centre of the box in the 86th. 

Results:

Man City 3-0 Crystal Palace

Aston Villa 1-1 Man Utd

Hull 0-1 Swansea

QPR 3-2 West Brom

Southampton 3-0 Everton

Tottenham 2-1 Burnley

West Ham 2-0 Leicester

Source: Reuters