SOUTHAMPTON 0, MANCHESTER CITY 1
Manchester City seem to be getting into the habit of late winners after Gabriel Jesus’ injury time winner broke even more records right at the end of a season in which City became Premier League Centurions after securing 100 points in the top flight for the first time ever.
It seems to be a Typical City way of achieving legendary results. Put fans through the emotional wringer until injury time and then release the pent-up tension with an emotionally resonating goal.
The two biggest examples of this for City fans are Paul Dickov securing extra time in the 95th minute against Gillingham in the 1999 playoff final or Sergio Aguero firing home the winner against QPR in 2012 after 3 minutes and twenty seconds of injury time to conclude the Premier League’s most exciting title chase.
Jesus became the latest City player to write himself into the history books by hitting the goal that secured a record 100 Premier League points for Manchester City at the very end of a record breaking season.
City boss Pep Guardiola made four changes from the side that beat Brighton in midweek, with John Stones, Fabian Delph, Kevin De Bruyne, and Raheem Sterling coming back into the side and Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Jesus, and Oleksandr Zinchenko stepping down.
Coming on as a second half substitute for Delph after 59 minutes with the game deadlocked, Jesus kept City fans waiting until the fourth minute of stoppage time before he lobbed Alex McCarthy with virtually the last kick of the game after a long pass by Kevin De Bruyne released the Brazilian to secure his 17th strike for City this term.
De Bruyne ended the game with 16 assists for the season, pipping team-mate Leroy Sane to the inaugural Playmaker of the Season award.
City landed their 32nd win of the season – a top flight football record, secured a 16th away win of the campaign, extended their Premier League goals scored record to 106, and ended the season a record 19 points ahead of second placed Manchester United who also won today.
And City finally breached the 100 points mark – a record for Guardiola too and one he was visibly delighted with too.
https://twitter.com/ManCity/status/995771160276209666
Strange then, the the home side had kept City at bay for nearly the whole game, hitting the woodwork through Wesley Hoedt’s header from Dusan Tadic’ cross early on after Jack Stephens had tested Claudio Bravo in the City goal.
Raheem Sterling’s shot was deflected on to the bar in the second period while John Stones’s header was tipped over the bar by McCarthy.
Tadic finally beat Bravo but was denied by Fernandinho’s defensive clearance off the line as the Saints looked likeliest to score in a tight game – keeping City at bay – and they thought they had done enough after news of Swansea’s defeat at the hands of Stoke City came through just before the dramatic finale.
Guardiola kept faith in youth till the end, throwing on Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz late in the game for their fifth Premier League appearances of the season – earning them medals in the process – to try and help snatch the winner which looked unlikely until Jesus saved his best till the last kick of the season.