Kolo thrilled to be back

Kolo Toure: Delighted to be back in the Man City team

Kolo Toure says he relished being back in action for Manchester City against former club Arsenal in what was only his second Premier League start since serving his six-month drugs ban.

The City defender was hit with the suspension earlier this year after failing a drugs test and is only just finding his way back into Roberto Mancini's first-team plans.

Toure helped the Blues to an entertaining 1-0 victory over his old club on Sunday, having also started the 5-1 thrashing of Norwich earlier this month.

And the 30-year-old Ivorian is enjoying being back in the side, saying: "I am happy. I feel very fine in terms of form.

Desperate

"I was desperate to play for Man City.

"We had a difficult game against an in-form Arsenal team, but we scored one goal and kept a clean sheet."

Sunday's clash was a tightly-contested encounter, with both sides producing plenty of chances, and Toure feels the win says a lot for City's title hopes.

He added: "We want to fight for the championship and we are showing our credentials."