Manchester City 2-1 Southampton: Three key players

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Cedric Soares of Southampton attempts to get past Raheem Sterling of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton at Etihad Stadium on November 29, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Cedric Soares of Southampton attempts to get past Raheem Sterling of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton at Etihad Stadium on November 29, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
1 of 4
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 29: Mario Lemina of Southampton attempts to get past Fabian Delph of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton at Etihad Stadium on November 29, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 29: Mario Lemina of Southampton attempts to get past Fabian Delph of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton at Etihad Stadium on November 29, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

It took 95 plus minutes for Manchester City to grab three points from a gritty Southampton side on Wednesday night.  Heartbreak aside, Saints fans have to be proud of the team’s performance

The Southampton game plan, formation, and team selection all contributed to a contest that will not soon be forgotten. Hopefully, spurring on the belief that will carry our team through the busy holiday fixtures. Next up for the Saints is Bournemouth, before a a difficult game against Arsenal.

Mauricio Pellegrino will be hoping the 2-1 loss – in which Raheem Sterling scored in the sixth minute of injury – will not dent his players’ confidence too much.

Here are three key Southampton players, that without their energy, effort and intuition, would have altered the scoreline dramatically.