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Manchester City 2-1 Southampton: Premier League – Three Takeaway thoughts from the match

By Alastair Case

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 02: Jack Stephens of Southampton celebrates his teams first goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton FC at Etihad Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 02: Jack Stephens of Southampton celebrates his teams first goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton FC at Etihad Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /
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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 02: Kyle Walker of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton FC at Etihad Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 02: Kyle Walker of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton FC at Etihad Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

It was heartbreak hotel for Southampton after their hopes of claiming an unlikely point at the Etihad were cruelly dashed at the last.

Despite the outcome, Ralph Hasenhuttl can be proud of the passion, endeavour and industry shown by his players against defending champions Manchester City.

Given the ruthless thrashing dished out at St Mary’s by Leicester in their previous league fixture, it was imperative that the Southampton manager cajoled an improved performance out of his underachieving side. And for once, Saints did not disappoint in a display characterised by last ditch tackles, point blank saves and most impressively, by players fighting tooth and nail for their comrades.

Man City cantered to a 3-1 victory in the midweek encounter in the Caribou Cup. Make no bones about the performance this time round though – the impressive Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and his troops pushed City to their limits at the Etihad fortress. An early goal from James Ward-Prowse was an unexpected bonus and the players fought valiantly to preserve the slender lead.

The inevitable equaliser came from an usual suspect as Sergio Aguero capitalised on a smart drawback from the by-line by Kyle Walker. Just as Saints looked tantalisingly close to holding on for a precious point, Walker popped up at the back post late on, to crush the hopes of the hardy fans who had made the long trip north.

Here are three takeaways from today’s defeat at Man City: