Skip to content
Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Manchester City vs Southampton. Premier League.

Etihad StadiumAttendance54,102.

Manchester City 3

  • K De Bruyne (9th minute)
  • F Delph (20th minute)
  • A Kolarov (69th minute)

Southampton 1

  • S Long (49th minute)

Man City 3-1 Southampton: City end winless run to go back top

Aleksandar Kolarov restores Manchester City's two-goal advantage in the 69th minute
Image: Aleksandar Kolarov scores Manchester City's third goal

Manchester City came through a torrid spell to beat Southampton 3-1 at the Etihad and go back top of the Premier League.

Early goals from Kevin De Bruyne (9) and Fabian Delph (20) seemed to have the points sewn up inside 20 minutes, but Shane Long (49) replied and Saints were close to an equaliser during a long period of dominance.

Aleksandar Kolarov's sweet strike in the 69th minute killed the visitors' momentum though, ending their unbeaten away record and giving City a first win in four games.

And Leicester's 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Saturday Night Football fixture left City top on goal difference.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Manuel Pellegrini was happy to end Southampton's unbeaten away record as his Manchester City side won 3-1 at the Etihad

The defensive frailties so ruthlessly exposed by Liverpool were again clear to see in the absence of Vincent Kompany, but a positive result was a riposte of sorts to those again questioning Manuel Pellegrini's position in the wake of successive defeats.

Pellegrini's straight bat would give Geoff Boycott's a run for its money, and the City boss insisted before kick-off it was business as usual at the Etihad despite the latest round of Pep Guardiola rumours.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Man City's Fabian Delph says it was important to bounce back after a disappointing run with a win over Southampton

If the Chilean prefers his players to talk for him, they spoke pretty eloquently during an opening spell which threatened to overwhelm Southampton.

Also See:

Time and again the visitors surrendered the ball in dangerous areas, and Maarten Stekelenburg had already denied Raheem Sterling and Kolarov by the time Sterling picked Maya Yoshida's gaping pocket and squared to give De Bruyne a tap-in.

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne (left) scores past Southampton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg
Image: Kevin De Bruyne (left) finishes Raheem Sterling's cross for City's first

An unusually heavy Sergio Aguero touch meant James Ward-Prowse's blind pass went unpunished, and Saints got another lucky break when the officials failed to spot Steven Davis' arm blocking Fernandinho's goalbound header.

Davis would surely have walked, but as it was City scored from the resulting corner as Delph marked his first City start by finishing De Bruyne's cut-back via a nick off Virgil van Dijk.

Fabian Delph celebrates with Nicolas Otamendi after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Southampton
Image: Fabian Delph (left) celebrates with Nicolas Otamendi after scoring City's second

Saints then lost skipper Jose Fonte to injury, but a revival began to take root and by the end of the half Willy Caballero had steadied his nerves with saves from Long and Victor Wanyama while watching a Van Dijk strike cannon back off the bar.

Ronald Koeman sent on an extra attacker in Dusan Tadic, and reward came shortly after the break: a quick free-kick caught out Sterling, and when Sadio Mane delivered from the right Long outjumped Martin Demichelis to head a reply.

Shane Long (right) provides Southampton with hope, reducing a two-goal deficit to make it 2-1 against Manchester City
Image: Shane Long (right) celebrates after heading Southampton back to 2-1

Demichelis bought a non-existent dummy as a huge chance of an equaliser went begging, Tadic strolling through and attempting a dink that failed to fool Caballero, and a follow-up shot went wide via Fernandinho's outstretched arm.

City were rocking at that point but Kolarov - picked out by De Bruyne - finished through a crowd of players to restore calm, and Pellegrini even had the luxury of sending on David Silva late on for his first appearance in almost two months.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman says early mistakes by his side made it hard to get a result at Man City

Paul Merson's Soccer Saturday verdict

"Southampton started so poorly. I mean you go to Man City and you haven't got one of your best players in centre forward Graziano Pelle and they just give away the ball. They'll be kicking themselves because if he plays, they get something out of it."

Player ratings

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Soccer Saturday's Paul Merson gives his thoughts on Manchester City's win over Southampton in the Premier League.

Man City: Caballero (7), Sagna (7), Demichelis (5), Otamendi (6), Kolarov (7), Fernandinho (7), Delph (7), Toure (6), Sterling (7), De Bruyne (7), Aguero (5).

Subs used: Bony (5), Fernando (5), Silva (5)

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

James Ward-Prowse was disappointed with Southampton's start but said there were plenty of positives to take from the defeat

Southampton: Stekelenburg (7), Yoshida (4), Fonte (5), Van Dijk (7), Bertrand (6), Romeu (6), Davis (6) Ward-Prowse (6), Wanyama (7), Mane (7), Long (7)

Subs used: Caulker (7), Tadic (7), Juanmi (5)

Man of the match: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)

Live Capital One Cup Football

Around Sky