Manchester City returned to winning once again after a derby loss to rivals United on Sunday with a thrilling 5-2 win over Southampton that moves them 14 points clear at the top of the table.
The Saints who defeated City last season looked like they might again as they took the game to the Premier League leaders but two goals apiece from Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne underlined City’s superior quality in an entertaining game.
De Bruyne’s scored early on but his effort was canceled out by James Ward-Prowse’s penalty.
But City took the reigns of dominance back with goals from Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan to take a two-goal advantage into half-time.
Further second-half goals from Mahrez and De Bruyne – either side of a Che Adams strike – ensured they brushed off the derby defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, swiftly ending any talk of a dip in form.
Watch the highlights of the match below
Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)
- Manchester City have scored 5+ goals in 23 Premier League games since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016-17, doing so in 12 games more than any other side in the competition during this period (Liverpool and Tottenham next on 11 each).
- Southampton conceded 5+ goals in a Premier League game for the 18th time – only Newcastle (21) have done so on more occasions in the competition’s history.
- Manchester City have followed up each of their last nine Premier League defeats at the Etihad with a victory in their very next home game in the competition.
- Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in more Premier League goals against Southampton than against any other side (11 – 4 goals, 7 assists).
- James Ward-Prowse’s equaliser for Southampton (1-1) was the sixth penalty goal Manchester City have conceded at the Etihad this season, becoming only the third side in the competition’s history to concede six home penalty goals in a season, after Newcastle in 2004-05 and Brighton in 2018-19.
- Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez (51) became the seventh player to score 50+ left footed goals in the Premier League (also Fowler, van Persie, Giggs, Salah, Lukaku and Giroud).
- Since Ralph Hasenhüttl’s first game in charge of Southampton in December 2018, only Newcastle (20) have seen their players make more combined errors leading to Premier League goals than the Saints (18).
- Manchester City’s Ilkay Gündogan scored his 10th league goal of 2021, one of four players in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures this year, after Robert Lewandowski (14), Lionel Messi (12) and Andre Silva (10).
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