A linguistic observation attributed to Abū al-Muʿīn al-Nasafī notes that Arabic speakers can describe Zayd as ʿAmr’s equal in jurisprudence if he can fulfill that role, even though the two differ in many other respects.
This establishes the possibility of likeness within a specified domain, not sameness of divine and creaturely essence or perfections.
Acknowledging the broad linguistic use of “like” while denying a creature's equality with the Creator is therefore coherent. The statements concern different kinds of comparison.