You wish Yaya, you wish

Everton 2 Manchester City 3

The hopes of Manuel Pellegrini’s team looked finished just under three weeks ago when they followed up defeat by Liverpool with a draw against Sunderland.

But after Chelsea’s win at Liverpool last weekend and this, a third successive win that took them top of the table for the first time since February, City know that two more victories, against Aston Villa on Wednesday and West Ham on Sunday will surely do the job. Two comprehensive wins, with a minimum of 12 goals against Crystal Palace and Newcastle could potentially see Liverpool, who are nine goals worse off on goal difference, overhaul Pellegrini’s men should they manage six more points.

Winning on goal difference, with Sergio Aguero’s injury-time goal against QPR giving the Premier League its perfect box office ending, did not taint the victory 24 months ago.

But if that feat is to be repeated, can it really be routine this time around?

“I don’t want to live through something like that again. We had QPR at home when it was almost too much for my heart. Going right to the last minute, it was unbelievable,” Toure, whose brother Kolo is part of the Liverpool squad, said. “I hope this time, in these two games, we can make a difference earlier and get the wins early. Aston Villa and West Ham are coming, we need to be sharp, we need to be ready. We need to be well prepared for these games and not make it as close as last time. We know at this club how important goal difference is. We scored three more at Everton but it was almost not enough, Everton are always difficult. The most important thing in these last two games is to keep on scoring goals.”

After a mixed start to the campaign City became bogged down with their three cup competitions and a backlog of matches before last month’s wobble meant they have rarely been at the top.

Whatever Pellegrini says, Saturday was the real test and it would take an unprecedented collapse, against the kind of teams that are regular cannon fodder at the Etihad Stadium, for them to blow it from here.

There will be caution with Sergio Aguero, once again taken off as a precaution, but the combined creativity of Toure, David Silva and Samir Nasri will surely drag them over the line.

They overcame a frightening start that saw the outstanding Ross Barkley bend in with power from 25 yards but Aguero pulled them level when he got in behind Antolin Alcaraz on the left of Everton’s makeshift three-man backline. Edin Dzeko planted a header in from James Milner’s cross and despite an otherwise woeful performance, he tapped in City’s third just after the break, shortly after Joe Hart had tipped Steven Naismith’s shot wide.

Romelu Lukaku headed in from a Leighton Baines cross midway through the second half but although Everton stood up, the atmosphere lacked the bite of some City’s trips to Goodison Park after Joleon Lescott moved between the clubs. Although Baines had a hand in both goals, Seamus Coleman was never able to build up a head of steam in the wing-back position on the other side, with John Stones regularly venturing into his space.

But the Europa League awaits and manager Roberto Martinez is excited about the potential in his squad. He said: “The young generation that we have at the club, Ross Barkley, even James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman and John Stones, they are very much mature boys and whatever comes their way they will take it and they will benefit from whichever experience comes their way.”

EVERTON: (3-4-1-2) Howard 6; Stones 5, Jagielka 5 (Deulofeu 67, 6), Alcaraz 6; Coleman 5, McCarthy 7, Osman 6 (McGeady 83, 6), Baines 7; Barkley 8; Naismith 7 , Lukaku 5.

MANCHESTER CITY: (4-4-2) Hart 7; Zabaleta 6, Kompany 7, Demichelis 7, Clichy 6; Milner 7, Garcia 6, Toure 7 (Kolarov 66, 6), Nasri 7 (Silva 74, 6); Aguero 7 (Fernandinho 28, 7), Dzeko 7.

Referee: Lee Probert (Gloucester).