Erling Haaland scored his 20th goal of the season as Newcastle thrashed Brentford and Bournemouth overcame Leicester.
Erling Haaland scored his 20th goal of the season as Newcastle thrashed Brentford and Bournemouth overcame Leicester.
Before halftime, Phil Foden extended City’s advantage after Joao Cancelo had given them the lead. Early in the second half, Riyad Mahrez scored, and Erling Haaland added his customary goal as City dominated the game from beginning to end.
With the victory, they now have 23 points for the year, are still undefeated, and briefly took first place in the standings.
Saints have now lost four of their previous five games, and their nine games have resulted in just seven points.
What Southampton vs. Manchester City taught us
Key to intensity as City gains momentum All attention will now be on City’s travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their upcoming Premier League match. They have a significant lead over Liverpool so far this season, but they are scared off by Jurgen Klopp’s high-pressing tactics because of their recent troubles at Anfield. But this feels like the best of City. They are motivated to recover possession of the ball, possess quality when they do, and have a large number of players who are in excellent shape. It’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that City will easily win the Premier League title this year, and this upcoming match at Anfield will demonstrate just how much they have distanced themselves from Liverpool over the summer.
This loss cannot be used to assess the Saints: Ralph Hasenhuttl was under increasing pressure prior to this game due to rumors that he would shortly be fired. Saints didn’t put up a bad performance, but this was all about limiting the damage. The damage was caused by the previous three losses against Everton, Aston Villa, and Wolves, all by a score of one goal. Let’s see if Hasenhuttl is given the opportunity to attempt and move them up the table over the coming weeks. Back-to-back matches against West Ham and Bournemouth appear to be key in determining whether or not he is given the chance to do so. He has kept Saints in the Premier League for over four years, but now that their new owners spent a lot of money on talented young players in the summer, they seem to be expecting more of a return.
tactical stance
Pep Guardiola changed his team’s style in an unusual way after a very sluggish start. He switched from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-2-1 formation as Cancelo played as a left wing-back and won the match. Due to Kyle Walker-Peters’ isolation and City’s ruthlessness, that transition produced overloads that Southampton were unable to handle. City benefited greatly from the additional man that the switch to a three-man center defense offered them up the pitch.
actors in the piece
Joao Cancelo: He oozed brilliance on the ball and scored a spectacular goal to get City moving. Excellent cross that led to Haaland’s goal.
Phil Foden: Lovely goal and assist, and he’s always eager to get the ball back.
Next, what?
On Tuesday, Man City will play in the UEFA Champions League group stage in Copenhagen. On Sunday, Oct. 16, Man City will play a crucial match against Liverpool. On Sunday, Southampton will host West Ham.
Photo Credits: https://www.hampshirelive.news/