Manchester City vs Southampton Review
Manchester City extended their club-record unbeaten streak in the Premier League to an impressive 32 matches with a 1-0 victory over Southampton. For Southampton, who have yet to win this season, facing the formidable Manchester City was always going to be a tough challenge. They were quickly reminded of this when Erling Haaland scored his usual goal just five minutes into the match. He outmuscled Jan Bednarek and tapped in from close range after receiving a pass from Matheus Nunes.
Nunes almost scored shortly after City’s goal, when he shot just wide from inside the box. Credit to Southampton, they could have easily fallen apart after conceding so early, but they defended strongly for the rest of the half. The second half saw no shift in momentum, and just minutes after the restart, Phil Foden nearly extended the lead with a shot that went just wide. A second goal seemed likely and should have come when Savinho’s impressive play set up Haaland at the far post, but he surprisingly missed from just a few yards out.
The same pair linked up again shortly after the hour mark, but the result was unchanged. Haaland’s header from the Brazilian’s cross was neither a shot nor an attempt to assist a teammate, it was yet another miss that kept doubts alive. However, City never really felt pressured, as the Saints displayed a lackluster attack and posed no threat throughout the match.
In the end, City comfortably secured their 11th victory in the last 15 top-flight encounters against the Saints. The outlook remains grim for Southampton, and while they understand that their season won’t be determined by this match, the longer their winless streak continues, the more pressure will mount on Russell Martin, who is among the top candidates to be the first managerial casualty of the 2024/25 season.
