Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Premier League and closed the gap to the top four with a hard-fought victory over in-form Southampton at St Mary’s.
Raheem Sterling swept in from Kevin de Bruyne’s cutback after 16 minutes, as Pep Guardiola’s side stamped their authority following the hosts’ energetic start.
Southampton, who began the day third in the table, responded well but their efforts to draw level were hampered by the loss of striker Danny Ings through injury before half-time.
In a tightly contested second half, Bernardo Silva miscued his shot after being played in by De Bruyne, while the hosts had appeals for a penalty for handball against Sterling dismissed by VAR.
Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy kept his side’s hopes of salvaging a result alive with a good save from Ilkay Gundogan’s curled shot, but Sterling’s finish proved decisive for a City side which had drawn their past two games.
City are one point behind fourth-placed Southampton and eight adrift of leaders Liverpool, having played one game fewer than both.
Same old problems – but City find a way
Following champions Liverpool’s emphatic 7-0 win at Crystal Palace – a result which temporarily left City 11 points behind their recent title adversaries – Guardiola’s misfiring side could ill afford a repeat of their recent shortcomings.
Registering 25 shots in a frustrating 1-1 draw with West Brom on Tuesday, the scoring issues that have contributed to their Spanish manager’s worst ever start to a top-flight campaign appear unlikely to subside any time soon.
Facing a confident Saints side that weathered 26 shots in beating City 1-0 in July, Sterling’s controlled right-footed opener forced the hosts to ask the questions – and a defence led by £65m signing Ruben Dias effectively endured Saints’ relentless press.
But in the absence of unfit striker Gabriel Jesus, and with the injury-plagued Sergio Aguero again on the bench, summer signing Ferran Torres managed just one shot as City struggled to create openings.
Silva, making his fifth league start of the season, produced several mazy runs but was unable to finish from another quality De Bruyne pass and the problem for City remains clear, with their 19 goals this campaign paling in comparison to the 37 they managed after 13 games last term.
Victory was undoubtedly the most important thing for City after their midweek setback though, and this was a crucial one following Liverpool’s earlier statement of intent.
Ings blow as Saints fall short
This was an opportunity for Southampton to genuinely establish themselves as top-four contenders this season following an impressive start. Though beaten on Saturday, Hasenhuttl’s well-drilled side will still feel they can threaten the established order.
Saints played with the energy and confidence expected of a team which had lost just once in 11 Premier League games, and were once again unrecognisable from the side which endured a torrid start to the previous campaign.
City’s opener only served to increase Southampton’s early intensity in front of a limited number of home fans, but Ederson was equal to both Theo Walcott’s shot and Jannik Vestergaard’s header.
The loss of Ings – whose wait for a 50th Premier League goal continues – to a hamstring problem before half-time was a huge blow, after the 28-year-old had led his side’s admirable high press from the front.
The striker was convinced he should have been awarded a penalty following a high challenge by Ruben Dias, while VAR also decided against awarding a spot-kick when the ball hit Sterling on the arm in the second half, but Southampton were ultimately unable to break City down.
Ings’ injury and a 10th booking for the now-suspended Oriol Romeu were two notable disappointments in defeat for Hasenhuttl, who should otherwise take pride in another promising showing.
‘We saw a top game today’ – what they said
Southampton manager Hasenhuttl told BBC Sport: “We played against Man City. They’re not so bad. To be honest we played a much better game than last season when we won 1-0. We have made such progress since then.
“They had to put their best game on the pitch to win here, and that’s the best praise you can give our players. We saw a top game on the pitch today. [Manchester City] have never been pressed so much. We had some good chances and some misses, so I’m really proud of my team. We never lose, we either win or we learn.”
On Ings’ injury, he added: “He’s hurt his hamstring. We had one day less to recover. It was a risk to play him. Hopefully he’s not so bad. We’ll have a look.”
Manchester City boss Guardiola said: “We had the momentum in the second half, but we couldn’t score and we nearly suffered. They put a lot of players inside, they provoke you to be narrow. It’s difficult. They don’t allow you to be compact, that’s why they are so good. That’s why they’re creating problems.
“They have the best free-kick taker I have seen in my life in [James] Ward-Prowse. Their position in the table, Ralph [Hasenhuttl] is doing an excellent job. It’s a good result for us.”
City’s impressive defensive record – the stats
- No side has conceded fewer goals (12) or kept more clean sheets (6) in the Premier League this season than Manchester City.
- City manager Guardiola has won six of his seven meetings with Hasenhuttl in all competitions.
- Southampton failed to score in a Premier League game for the first time since their season opener in September.
- Saints have only kept one clean sheet in their past 18 games against Manchester City in the Premier League, conceding 40 goals in those games.
- Sterling has been directly involved in 11 goals in 16 Premier League games against Southampton – only against West Ham (14) has he had a hand in more.
- Kevin de Bruyne has registered 15 Premier League assists in 2020. That’s three more than anyone else and only in 2017 has he assisted more (18).
- Since the start of last season, only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (45) has been directly involved in more Premier League goals than De Bruyne (42).
