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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 on Saturday.
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.
Champions City, who lined up without a recognised centre forward, had trailed Chelsea by eight points in November, but have cranked into gear heading into the busy festive period, taking 22 points from a possible 24 in their last eight games.
Palace, who were resilient opponents until City took the lead and had what looked a good goal chalked off for offside when trailing 2-0, are one point above the relegation zone.
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