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Yaya Toure awaits FA decision over 'kick' toward Norwich striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel

The Manchester City midfielder appeared to lash out towards the Canaries forward in the goalless draw at Carrow Road

Agency
Monday 10 February 2014 10:38 GMT
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Yaya Toure could face further disciplinary action after he appeared to kick out at Norwich forward Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Yaya Toure could face further disciplinary action after he appeared to kick out at Norwich forward Ricky van Wolfswinkel (GETTY IMAGES)

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is waiting to hear if the Football Association decides to take disciplinary action after he appeared to kick out at Ricky van Wolfswinkel during Saturday's goalless draw with Norwich.

City's failure to beat the Canaries, who claimed a valuable point from the stalemate at Carrow Road, could be compounded if they lose the influential Ivorian for Wednesday's meeting with Southampton, or for the following home game against Stoke.

If the incident was missed by the match officials, which appeared to be the case, the FA may decide to take retrospective action against Toure.

The draw - and Arsenal's 5-1 hammering at Liverpool - allowed City's title rivals Chelsea to go top of the league with a 3-0 victory over Newcastle and the disappointing afternoon in Norfolk also marked a second outing without scoring for Manuel Pellegrini's previously goal-hungry side.

And the Chilean boss, who also watched his side draw a blank in last week's 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea, hopes it will not be long before his side are back on the goal trail.

Pellegrini accepts having chalked up 100 goals in all competitions so quickly, there was always going to be a spell where things did not run so smoothly in the final third.

"To score goals is always the most difficult thing in football," he said. "Maybe because this team has been scoring goals so easily this season, people have been talking about the amount of goals they are going to score again.

"I think that this is absolutely related to the injury of (Sergio) Aguero. (Alvaro) Negredo and (Edin) Dzeko are not 100 per cent fit to play as well as they did before, but we must continue.

"We are right behind the leaders, have 39 points more to fight for and this team were favourites to win the title with the way we were playing.

"We must try, as soon as possible, to play that way (again)."

Pellegrini added: "Although we drew here, it is not the last game that we are going to play.

"We have 13 games more to fight for the title.

"Every team will drop points. Last week, it was Chelsea against West Ham at home. This weekend it was Arsenal.

"We hope that we will continue fighting until the end."

Pellegrini feels no definitive conclusions can yet be drawn in the championship race.

"It is very difficult to know who are the favourites," the City boss said.

"For me, the favourites were Arsenal because, after playing 25 games, Arsenal were leading the table for most of them.

"(Then) we were the favourites though, because we had been playing very well before this week.

"Chelsea are now playing well as well, but they are not the favourites - and don't forget about Liverpool, and maybe Everton or Tottenham.

"I think five teams are going to fight for the Premier League this season.

"This year the Premier League will be closer than ever."

PA

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