Manchester City 5-2 Southampton: Premier League - as it happened
10-Mar-2021 20:06:19 | The Guardian
Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez scored two apiece in an entertaining 5-2 win for Manchester City over Southampton, who contributed fully
Heeeere’s Jamie Jackson’s match report! And with that I bid thee farewell – thanks for your company, as ever, and see you soon.
Related: De Bruyne and Mahrez double up in Manchester City's rout of Southampton
Foden, the two-assist king, says words:
It was quite strange at times, they started really well with the high pressing, the pitch was a bit muddy and it was hard to play out. But we ended up scoring the first and it was quite a crazy game to be honest. It was really important to get back on track today.
I thought they just carried on playing the same way and fair play to them, they gave it a good try. I’m enjoying playing in new roles and I can only become a better player.
Some Saints analysis mailed in by Chris Fowler:
“The Man City game was always a free hit for Saints, so long as they avoided an absolute stuffing. If we come away with anything positive, great, and if we don’t, well, you’d expect to lose to City. In the next five games we have Brighton, Burnley and WBA, and those are the games that we have to win to guarantee our presence in the EPL next season.
Couple of Champions League MBMs for you. Liverpool v RB Leipzig with Barry Glendenning:
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City go 14 points clear. They’ve won comfortably but that was a genuinely good game, because both sides came out intent on making it one.
90+2 min: Aguero fails to control a ball that would have sent him through but soon afterwards does better, in very much AGUEROOOOOO territory, to force a near-post save from McCarthy.
90+1 min: We’re in the first of three added minutes.
88 min: Bernardo Silva lashes a foot wide of the far post, with McCarthy beaten, after a pass from Gundogan.
86 min: Adams finishes beautifully from an angle after an assist from Ward-Prowse, but the flag correctly goes up.
83 min: Fernandinho trips Tella in Ward-Prowse territory and is booked. Chance here? It’s a modestly good effort, but straight at Ederson.
81 min: Here is Benjamin Mendy, on for Zinchenko.
80 min: Gundogan absolutely hammers a backpass at Ederson and the keeper can’t tame it, conceding a corner. There’s been a bit of that from both sides today. In fact there is from most sides these days because there’s this insistence on playing high-risk defensive passes come what may. City are one of the vanishingly few who can usually do it. Anyhow, the flag kick is cleared.
78 min: Not sure how Torres has missed there, but he has – given the goal at his mercy after Fernandinho gets a toe in ahead of a sleepy Salisu, he sweeps his shot wide.
74 min: “It seems your quiet word (17.21) didn’t have the desired effect. Can you have another go please?” chides Richard Hirst.
I have the same problem with my bar (remember those?) presence.
72 min: City play keepball for a long, long time before Foden flashes a shot just wide. And here’s the lesser-spotted Aguero, replacing De Bruyne – a return to top-flight goalscoring form in the next 20 minutes, maybe? Saints bring on Watts for Armstrong in the meantime.
70 min: The pace has dropped significantly. But never mind, we’ve had fun.
68 min: Rachit Gupta makes a decent point – “While Mahrez has played well, I think the best player on the pitch has been Zinchenko. The commitment and effort up front to make the first two City goals and tracking all the way back for defensive duties. He has been immense so far.”
66 min: Southampton put a bit of pressure on. The game’s surely gone but look, who knows?
63 min: Four minutes since we’ve had a goal! Saints bring on Diallo for Stephens.
61 min: Stephens has a free header from Ward-Prowse’s corner but totally miscues it and over the ball goes. It’s madness at the moment, this. City now bring in Ferran Torres for the brilliant Mahrez.
Could they get nine? Foden half-controls a fizzed Walker ball into the ‘D’ and intelligently leaves it for De Bruyne, who shows superb balance to trick into the box and finish confidently for his own second of the night.
59 min: McCarthy saves well from Foden after the forward gets in behind. This could be any score at the moment.
58 min: What an odd game this has become. Good fun all round.
Errm, OK! Some really shoddy City defending, brought about by a loose backwards pass from – I think – Silva, gives Armstrong a chance to shoot in the box. It’s deflected into Adams’ path, and duly gobbled up!
The game’s best player gets his second. Fernandinho steals a careless pass out from Salisu and bursts forward. He finds Foden to his right, and Foden quickly locates Mahrez. He finds the angle and curls deftly inside the post – another great finish.
54 min: But now Saints break, and is Adams in? No, he hasn’t quite got the pace to get away and Zinchenko runs back diligently to stop him.
53 min: It’s absolutely all City now. The tables have turned totally. Saints might be tempted to take 3-1 here.
51 min: Now City are sweeping forward confidently and Silva, who could maybe shoot, cuts across to potentially give Foden a tap-in. Vestergaard has other ideas though and snicks the ball away.
50 min: Foden wins a corner and then receives it short, leathering in a shot from range that McCarthy parries. Laporte – I think – air kicks his attempt to volley in the rebound.
49 min: Bertrand has problems dealing with a Walker cross but nobody from City can quite capitalise.
48 min: Early control from City and I’m not certain that will really cease from here.
A Saints sub – Tella on for Djenepo, who did take a knock. Guardiola is berating the fourth official as he comes back out, perhaps about that meaningless non-penalty.
“I’m far from a City fan but recognise that their Algerian winger is an extremely entertaining player to watch. When he has the ball it’s like he’s on Mahrez and defenders are on Venus,” observes a stargazing Peter Oh.
On the telly they are talking extensively about that Foden non-penalty (which to be fair should surely have been one, more replays show). City are 3-1 up, it doesn’t matter, concentrate on the football.
The concern for Saints is that if City decide they really *want it* they could take them to the cleaners from here. They’ve scored three times out of nothing really.
Is Riyad Mahrez the player other club's fans enjoy watching most @NickAmes82? Phil Foden might come close too. And we're betting without David Luiz obviously.
He’s probably City’s least predictable player, isn’t he? In a wholly good way. And he’s been the difference here.
And that is half-time. Unlucky, Saints!
That might put an end to that. Mahrez slaloms into the box with the half’s last action, snakes a right-footer against the far post and Gundogan reacts quickest to get back on the goal trail. How City are 3-1 up I don’t know. Well, I do ... they’re City.
44 min: It’s been a good half, although City will feel fortunate to have essentially had two decent attacks and scored twice. Saints deserve better but have been architects of their own downfall.
42 min: The two managers are having a friendly – genuinely – but quite intense chat about something.
A brilliant finish but, my, Adams will kick himself. The Saints forward finds himself in the right-back position and attempts a first-time pass from side to side. It’s presented straight to Mahrez, who still has plenty to do. He works an angle and then, from 20 yards, whips clinically past McCarthy and into the bottom corner. If the goal itself wasn’t a gift, the chance to score it certainly was.
40 min: It appears Djenepo will carry on.
39 min: Djenepo, who has played well so far despite spurning that opportunity, has a problem and is taking some treatment.
37 min: Ooh, Djenepo jabs a very good chance wide after City are robbed near their own box. He can’t quite get a clean contact on the run, right in the middle of the box.
36 min: Saints win a free-kick from almost exactly where Ward-Prowse shot just now. It’s far out but he’d love another go, surely. Indeed he goes for it, but misses by a long way.
34 min: Close at the other end! Ward-Prowse hits a pearler from 30 yards and it dips viciously, making Ederson tip over. More danger from the corner perhaps? Not this time, although there is minor consternation when the ball is played back into a momentarily unattended Adams.
32 min: No penalty! Maybe he didn’t make contact, I didn’t see another replay; Foden certainly didn’t complain. City carry on with a corner that comes to nothing.
31 min: Blimey, McCarthy lives very dangerously as he miscontrols a backpass and is mugged by Foden ... surely taking him down. VAR check ...
29 min: A Fernandinho sighter flies well over. City aren’t really playing with their usual precision at all here.
28 min: Adams treats the assistant referee to some “fruity” language after not winning a throw-in.
27 min: What a nice response that was from Saints, who could have felt downhearted at conceding out of the (sky) blue but instead just kept coming back.
Straight down the middle and, deservedly, it’s game back on!
Vestergaard gets his head onto the corner, as so often, and Ederson parries. But Laporte yanks him back as he makes for the rebound and Saints have a spot kick!
23 min: Maybe Redmond does want that transfer! He forces a tip-around from Ederson with a smart, weighted low curler towards the far post. Might or might not have been going in. From the corner ...
22 min: De Bruyne overruns the ball as he makes for the left byline, Bednarek closing him off well.
20 min: City seem to have settled a bit since the goal, forcing a little bit of panicky defending from Saints. The visitors do break again but Salisu can’t control.
18 min: Asa Desouza-Jones asks – “Is there any indication that the only thing on Pep’s mind tonight is a scouting mission to see if Nathan Redmond could cut the mustard at City next season given his mad rant at the Southampton ‘Ace’ a couple of years ago.”
Haha, what a moment that was. Ship’s probably sailed for Redmond hasn’t it, but you never quite know with Pep.
17 min: No joke, that was the first time they’d actually entered Saints’ final third.
City’s very first attack, City’s first goal. Dias hits Zinchenko with a sweet diagonal, Foden meets the cutback only for McCarthy to save ... and De Bruyne lashes in the rebound via the bar. Somewhat predictable!
13 min: Might be a bit of energy conservation here from City too. They aren’t really looking to deny Saints the ball. As trailed below, they have played a *lot* of football, however much Guardiola rotates. They seem to be on my TV every day!
11 min: It’s not as if they are being ripped open but this is as slow as I’ve seen City start a game in aaaaaages. Saints are really having a go.
9 min: Walker almost plays Ederson into trouble after another nice foray involving Djenepo and an overlapping Salisu runs aground. The keeper hacks away hurriedly.
7 min: Saints play through the thirds and break promisingly, but Djenepo doesn’t manage to get a shot away. Nothing from City here so far.
5 min: A Saints corner after good work between Bertrand and Armstrong. Fair play, they have controlled these early exchanges. Ward-Prowse looks to cause City a problem with the delivery, but it’s flicked away by a defender.
3 min: Bright start from the away side though. Perhaps that win over the Blades has lightened their burden after a really torrid run.
1 min: Ryan Bertrand, selected today at ... errrrm, right-back, attempts an early run but commits a foul. I think Saints have started with a back four, actually, with the right-footed Salisu at left-back. So they are going with inverted full-backs.
The Saints go kicking off, and will shoot right to left in your mind’s eye.
Out come the teams at the Etihad. The football will happen very shortly ...
Here’s Guardiola: “Lose games, win games, it’s part of our entire year. Always [the players] are good, it doesn’t matter the result, in the good moments and the bad moments they are good.”
That’s good. He also says Aguero could have started, but hasn’t. Sky show that it’s 14 months since the legendary striker’s last Premier League goal. He seems to be winding down and it’s hard to see him at City beyond the summer.
Andrew Read writes in on that Saints setup and, yes, the prospect of another goal glut:
“A back three (Salisu, Vestergaard and Stephens), with Bednarek and Bertrand as wing-backs? All intended to keep the score less than nine. Ahem.”
City’s season began on 21 September and this will be their 43rd game of it. That’s almost exactly a game every four days. It’s a lot of football.
Peter Oh addresses the elephant in the room: “I’m pretty sure that, if asked if he has any concerns about the match, Ralph Hasenhüttl’s reply will be ‘Nein!’.”
Important words today from Steve Parish, of Crystal Palace, on the proposed Champions League expansion. Paul MacInnes has more:
Related: Champions League expansion could be ‘devastating’, warns Palace's Parish
Oleks Zinchenko feeding the Etihad Stadium security dogs before tonight's game is the kind of heart-warming content we all need on a miserable, wet evening!
#ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/fn8eTmVz3q
There’s something in my eye!
Some stipulations from Richard Hirst:
“As a Fulham supporter I have very specific requirements for tonight’s game:
That’s six changes for Saints. They are fielding a lot of specialist centre-backs. One of them, Jack Stephens, looks sure to start in midfield. Will that be a back three from them? I don’t really know, the below is a total guess and I can very much see a world where it’s not.
City make five changes from their derby disappointment. I suspect that’s Foden false-nineing it. You’ve got both Aguero and Jesus on the bench there, Pep!
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, Gündogan; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Bernardo; Foden. Subs: Steffen, Stones, Sterling, Jesus, Agüero, Rodrigo, Torres, Mendy, Cancelo.
Southampton: McCarthy; Bednarek, Salisu, Vestergaard; Bertrand, Stephens, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong; Djenepo, Adams, Redmond. Subs: Forster, Walker-Peters, Ramsay, Diallo, Ferry, Watts, Tella, Minamino, Nlundulu.
Here’s some Wednesday night Premier League football, just before the Wednesday night Champions League football! Lucky us, and this one should be very watchable even if the jeopardy isn’t quite what it might have been before the weekend.
Can City keep their monumental winning run going? Nope, because they were picked off by Manchester United on Sunday. Are Saints about to get sucked into the dogfight? Can’t see it, as they turned up and took three points at Bramall Lane. City remain 11 points clear at the top, so those with an interest in catching them – if that even remains live – would hope to see them drop points today and then effect a collapse of barely-precedented proportions. Again, that won’t happen – but now that Southampton have cleared their heads we ought to see an open, well-contested evening’s work here.
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