Saints Marching
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Southampton vs Manchester City: Three Key Takeaways

By Ryan Borowski

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Jack Stephens of Southampton and Alex McCarthy of Southampton celebrate following their team's victory in the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Manchester City at St Mary's Stadium on July 05, 2020 in Southampton, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Jack Stephens of Southampton and Alex McCarthy of Southampton celebrate following their team's victory in the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Manchester City at St Mary's Stadium on July 05, 2020 in Southampton, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Southampton had a fantastic defensive performance on Sunday that saw them collect all three points from the mighty Manchester City.

From the 16th minute onwards, the Saints had everyone on the edge of their seat willing the team to victory. And when the final whistle blew, Southampton were on top and came away with 3 points that puts them mathematically safe from relegation.

We learned a lot about the Saints and the type of character they have and that they are capable on the defensive side of things to get results. So, let us take a look at three takeaways from this match.

Ralph gets rewarded for sticking with McCarthy

Alex McCarthy was absolutely brilliant on Sunday. He made a ton of great saves and sprinkle in just a bit of luck and that is the recipe for keeping a clean sheet against Manchester City.

McCarthy, after his blunder against Arsenal could have easily found himself on the bench for a few matches but Ralph backed him and said he was not going to kill the keeper for a making a mistake. And little did he know he would be so quickly rewarded for staying with the keeper and get a famous win over the Premier League giants.

On Sunday, the Englishman made 6 saves and commanded a backline that put their bodies on the line and in front of every single shot they could. It was incredible to watch and McCarthy won a deserved man of the match.