Southampton 0-1 Manchester City: Raheem Sterling winner for Pep Guardiola's side

By Harry PooleBBC Sport

Last updated on 19 December 2020.From the section Premier League479

Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Premier League and reduced 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 moved 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

'Defensively we were excellent' - Guardiola on Man City's hard-fought win

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

Southampton 0-1 Man City: Saints boss proud of his team despite defeat

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).

What's next?

Manchester City are away to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday (20:00 GMT), before hosting Newcastle on Saturday night in the Premier League(20:00).

Southampton travel to Fulham on Saturday (15:00).

Player of the match

VestergaardJannik Vestergaard

with an average of 7.64

Southampton
Manchester City

Southampton

Squad number4Player nameVestergaard
Average rating
7.64
Squad number32Player nameWalcott
Average rating
7.29
Squad number1Player nameMcCarthy
Average rating
7.00
Squad number2Player nameWalker-Peters
Average rating
6.89
Squad number8Player nameWard-Prowse
Average rating
6.84
Squad number6Player nameOriol Romeu
Average rating
6.77
Squad number35Player nameBednarek
Average rating
6.62
Squad number10Player nameAdams
Average rating
6.57
Squad number9Player nameIngs
Average rating
6.31
Squad number3Player nameBertrand
Average rating
6.27
Squad number12Player nameDjenepo
Average rating
6.02
Squad number23Player nameTella
Average rating
5.76
Squad number40Player nameN'Lundulu
Average rating
5.52
Squad number11Player nameRedmond
Average rating
5.29

Manchester City

Squad number17Player nameDe Bruyne
Average rating
6.92
Squad number5Player nameStones
Average rating
6.70
Squad number31Player nameEderson
Average rating
6.60
Squad number2Player nameWalker
Average rating
6.48
Squad number3Player nameRúben Dias
Average rating
6.47
Squad number27Player nameJoão Cancelo
Average rating
6.32
Squad number8Player nameGündogan
Average rating
6.19
Squad number7Player nameSterling
Average rating
5.98
Squad number20Player nameBernardo Silva
Average rating
5.96
Squad number16Player nameRodri
Average rating
5.80
Squad number21Player nameTorres
Average rating
5.63
Squad number26Player nameMahrez
Average rating
4.90

Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text

Line-ups

Southampton

Formation 4-4-2

1McCarthy
2Walker-Peters
35Bednarek
4Vestergaard
3Bertrand
32Walcott
8Ward-ProwseBooked at 42mins
6RomeuBooked at 38mins
12DjenepoSubstituted forRedmondat 59'minutes
9IngsSubstituted forTellaat 41'minutes
10AdamsSubstituted forN'Lunduluat 82'minutes

Substitutes

5Stephens
7Long
11Redmond
17Armstrong
22Salisu
23Tella
27Diallo
40N'Lundulu
44Forster

Man City

Formation 4-2-3-1

31EdersonBooked at 81mins
2Walker
5Stones
3Rúben Dias
27Cancelo
8Gündogan
16Rodri
20Bernardo Silva
17De BruyneBooked at 25mins
7Sterling
21TorresSubstituted forMahrezat 72'minutes

Substitutes

6Aké
10Agüero
11Zinchenko
22Mendy
25Fernandinho
26Mahrez
33Carson
47Foden
61Nmecha

Referee:: Mike Dean
Attendance:: 2,000

Match Stats

Home TeamSouthamptonAway TeamMan City

Possession: Home48%; Away52%

Shots: Home9; Away11

Shots on Target: Home3; Away5

Corners: Home6; Away6

Fouls: Home9; Away11

Live Text

Post update
Match ends, Southampton 0, Manchester City 1.
90'+6'
Full Time
Second Half ends, Southampton 0, Manchester City 1.

90'+4'
Post update
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by James Ward-Prowse.
90'+2'
Post update
Hand ball by Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).
90'+2'
Post update
Attempt missed. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Bernardo Silva following a fast break.
90'+1'
Post update
Attempt missed. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne.
89'
Post update
Rodrigo (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
89'
Post update
Foul by Daniel N'Lundulu (Southampton).
86'
Post update
Offside, Manchester City. Kyle Walker tries a through ball, but Riyad Mahrez is caught offside.
86'
Post update
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86'
Post update
Foul by Nathan Tella (Southampton).
83'
Post update
Foul by Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City).
83'
Post update
Jannik Vestergaard (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
82'
Substitution
Substitution, Southampton. Daniel N'Lundulu replaces Che Adams.
81'
Post update
Offside, Southampton. Oriol Romeu tries a through ball, but Theo Walcott is caught offside.
81'
Post update
Foul by John Stones (Manchester City).
81'
Post update
Che Adams (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing.
81'
Booking
Ederson (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.
80'
Post update
Kyle Walker (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
80'
Post update
Foul by Che Adams (Southampton).

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Comments

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479 comments

Not a fan of City but those that go on about all the money they’ve spent and have only glory hunting fans are talking absolute nonsense.
Even in the days when they were languishing in League 1, they were one of the best supported sides in England, attracting 30k plus fans to Maine Road, more than Liverpool got at Anfield in the topflight.
Let’s stick to facts, not fiction.
From a Liverpool fan.
hutcho16 replied:
Well said QED totally agree
Asa City fan, I've got to say well played to Southampton. You played football against us and gave a great account of yourselves! Good look for the rest of the season
Mav617 replied:
Seconded mate.
Entertaining match. Saints are a really good side this term and Hassenhuttl has really turned them around and with a bit more luck could've won today. City weren't entirely convincing but got the job done.

On another note, I've really been enjoying Amazon's coverage. It's cheaper than Sky and I wouldn't mind if they got a few more matches next time the rights are up for negotiation.
Geoff replied:
Only error so far is having our ‘Arry commentating on Saints- he’s not liked at all
Great game, bith sides had a go.
The Spin Doctor replied:
Unlucky Southampton. Hope they put this behind them and keep playing like they have recently.
Very good result there for Man City against an impressive Southampton.

Of course the jealous Pep haters will never admit it.
Kingnick1956 replied:
When he becomes a decent manager, instead of someone that just spends money when his teams lose he will be judged more fairly
Let's hope Danny Ings is ok. ✌A very important member of the team
Sutty replied:
If he'd stayed on the pitch Southampton would have walked it. They're a great club with genuine fans and a manager who knows how to coach a team. The polar opposite of their opponents today.
Guardiola got one thing spot on. Keeping Stones when everyone wrote him off. He's now City's number one centre back, the main reason for all those clean sheets.
Kev City replied:
Stones and Dias are performing well together in the middle of defence.
My god 🙈 my teams better than your team ..your team spent more than my team blah blah blah
Sutty replied:
Mumsnet is that way.....
It’s not the City we are used to but Pep has made them more solid and much harder to score against. And he’s finding a way to win with fewer goals. Turning around the awful away form is crucial to City’s season. Hopefully this was that turning point.
Pickford _ the _ G O A T replied:
At least they don't looose 7-2 to Aston Villa.
Mazon had Clattenburgh as VAR adviser today.

On the penalty claim by Ings he said that would have been a foul outside the box. Can he explain where in the rules it says this? Afoul is a foul and a penalty should be treated as it would everywhere else on the pitch.

PS Clattenburgh was one of the worst refs ever to grace the game
The Point Is replied:
It's quite simple, it's a common football expression. He meant the ref would have given a foul outside the box, but because it was in the area, he wasn't brave enough, especially against a "big" team. One of the many, many inconsistencies from refs.
Fantastic game of football from both sides. Congrats to both team, great advert for football.
Southampton definately deserved a point IMO.
The Saints will finish in the top 8 - if not higher!!
joecorrigansboots replied:
Why did they deserve a point?

City were dreadful (again) in front of goal
Missed about six golden chances in the second half at least
That to me isn’t deserving of Southampton getting a point??
This City team are in the title race right in the mix.
JuliusCaesarWasASocialist replied:
LMAO!
Trouble is I’m a City fan who loves Southampton since my Dad took me to the matches as a boy! I love how good Saints have become if they can just stop being a feeder club to Arsenal and Liverpool for their best players.
Portsmouth fans can only dream of this level of success! 😂
ordinary footie fan replied:
Got to feel sorry for Pompey, been in Tier 3 for ages.
Much better from City today, defence did well, midfield competed well, forget the big scorelines of recent years, if you'd offered me three points away in a prem league game against anyone 20+ years ago I'd have bit your hand off.
Pickford _ the _ G O A T replied:
Yup... some teams trying to forget 7-2.
Man City need to replace Aguero.

Jesus/Torres aren't it
bingo replied:
Jesus doesn't even save, he leaves that to Ederson.
Congratulations to scorer Raheem. Wishing Danny Ings a speedy recovery and a quick return to the starting line up.
Really good game to watch, well done both teams.
Great broadcasting and commentary from amazon👍.
Eye_Said replied:
Yeah - nice to see a team attacking City - and causing all sorts of problems. The City game against West Brom was truly truly awful...

Personally, I'd rather watch an entertaining game we lose than a dour win. That's what ManU used to do so well - and now Liverpool - really attack.
Based on today, I hope the Saints make Europe - they deserve it. I certainly want to watch them again
Good result against a strong Southampton just need city to make a couple of good signings to lift the team and kick on.....
anonymous 000 replied:
That's usually.the answer , spend spend spend..
According to to Stockley Park they didnt give the penalty for the Sterling handball because his arm wasnt extended our far enough.

Where in the rules does it say the arm has to be be extended out for it to be a handball?
TheGreatSimondo replied:
I'm just as bewildered as you are mate. I've seen a penalty given for handball when the guys arm was right next to his torso, I can't remember who it was but I'll have a think. Either way the new rule is chaotic at best and ludicrous at worst. I don't see logic in it.

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