MAN CITY 3, SOUTHAMPTON 1
Manchester City were back to their old selves as they regained top spot in the Barclays Premier League.
After defeats to Liverpool and Juventus in the last week, City avoided a hat trick of losses.
Yet it was by no means a perfect performance as Southampton, with more clinical finishing, could have left the Etihad with some reward for their considerable efforts.
Indeed, City keeper Willy Caballero was by far the busier of the two keepers and he prevented Saints from producing a stunning fightback that they looked on the cards for a time.
In the end City had the cutting edge that Saints lacked as goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Fabien Delph and Aleksandar Kolarov saw them to victory.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini was delighted to get back to winning ways saying: “It was a very important reaction after picking up only one point from six in the league.
“It has not been an easy week and we were up against a difficult team that were unbeaten playing away from home.
“We have already lost six points at home so we needed a strong reaction in front of the home fans.”
Pellegrini explained that the start of the game was important as City were 2-0 ahead after 20 minutes.
“When they scored (to make it 2-1) I felt the players were a bit nervous,” added the City manager who added it was difficult preparing for game 72 hours after they played in Italy.
And there was a tongue-in-cheek swipe at his critics.
“We are top of the Premier League, the only English team to qualify so far in the Champions League and the only leading team still in the Capital One Cup so it is not a crisis, we are having a good season,” he declared.
Pellegrini is also hopeful that Sergio Aguero, who limped off in the second period, is not seriously hurt.
He explained that Aguero received a kick and that the player complained of pain in his heel adding it was always the intention that he only played for an hour as he continues on the comeback trail.
City made four changes from the side that kicked off in Turin against Juventus in midweek.
Caballero replaced the injured Joe Hart in goal while there were also recalls for Kolarov, Delph and Raheem Sterling at the expense of Gael Clichy, Fernando Reges and Jesus Navas.
City were quick out of the blocks as Sterling forced keeper Maarten Stekelenburg into action in the opening minute.
Kolarov then struck the crossbar with a free kick with Stekelenburg dropping on the ball on the goalline as Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho slid in.
There was no escape in the ninth minute, though, as City took a deserved lead when Sterling broke away down the left past Maya Yoshida and squared the ball for De Bruyne to score from no more than two yards.
It was the Belgium’s fourth goal for City to go with four assists, a measure of the impact he has made since his £55million transfer from Wolfsburg.
City’s attacking was relentless and next Aguero was released by Delph, but Stekelenburg saved well at his feet.
And they were rewarded with a second goal after 20 minutes.
Fernandinho’s header from De Bruyne’s corner was cleared off the line by Steven Davis with claims of handball.
It was only a temporary reprieve, though, as from De Bruyne’s corner was cleared to Delph whose drive from 25-plus yards was deflected off Virgil van Dijk to wrong foot Stekelenburg.
Southampton almost immediately halved the deficit when a long-range drive from van Dijk crashed against the crossbar and not long after Victor Wanyama forced a decent one-handed save from Caballero and James Ward-Prowse’s free kick rippled the side netting. Saints’ fans at the opposite end of the pitch mistakenly thought their side had scored.
Saints maintained the momentum they had built up as Shane Long forced a decent save from Caballero. City had clearly taken their foot off the gas, but their opponents certainly hadn’t conceded defeat as they were by far the better side in the second half of the opening period.
And the visitors were finally reward for their efforts four minutes into the second period following a quickly taken free kick.
Sadio Mane was released on the right and his far-post cross was headed home by Long.
Saints were in the ascendancy and Caballero was kept busy making a doube save to deny substitute Dusan Tadic and Long and later Tadic for a second time.
The spirited resistance of the visitors was broken with 20 minutes left when City scored a third goal.
De Bruyne provided the assist with a chip to release Kolarov who fired a low angled shot into the far corner from six yards.
Saints refused to throw in the towel as Mane forced another decent stop from Hart’s understudy.
City brought on the fit-again Wilfried Bony and David Silva in the last quarter of the game, a boost with a busy schedule looming while Fernando was also given 20 minutes.
And these are players who could feature in Tuesday’s home Capital One Cup, quarter final against Hull City.