Man City 3 - Southampton 1: Pellegrini's men get their title challenge back on track

Aleksandar Kolarov scores Man City's third goal

NEVER mind Lionel Messi – things were becoming rather messy for Manchester City until Aleksandar Kolarov settled the jangling Etihad nerves.

 

It’s been a typical madcap week at the wannabe Premier League champions, a trouncing at home by Liverpool, defeat at Juventus and talk of Barcelona superstar Messi hooking up here on wages of £800,000 a week.

And of course there has been the usual speculation over Pep Guardiola taking over from Manuel Pellegrini.

“We need to recover,” Pellegrini had acknowledged before the kick off, accepting that just one win in four league games is not the stuff of champions.

For 21 minutes a seemingly jaded Southampton provided the perfect antidote for City’s recent travails.

 

City raced out of the blocks with menace and purpose and went 2-0 up as Saints supplied their own wrecking ball.

But without skipper Vincent Kompany and a fit again David Silva only starting on the bench City’s recent flakiness reappeared once their early storm had blown itself out and Saints woke up.

A typical Shane Long finish, a header from Saido Mane’s perfect cross followed by a tide of Saints attacks culminating in some desperate saves from Willy Caballero prompted audible groans from the increasingly restless natives.

Then in the 70th minute salvation arrived, courtesy of a breath taking goal, both in its construction and its finish.

 



Kevin De Bruyne celebrates after scoring the games opening goal



 



Shane Long brought Southampton back into the match



Raheem Sterling cut into the area, found substitute Wilfried Bony whose instinctive back heel fed Kevin de Bruyne.  While there were bodies racing everywhere in the crowded penalty area the super cool Belgian calmly looked around and chipped over to Kolarov who buried his shot into the corner.

All was forgiven, although the image of hit man Sergio Aguero limping off after appearing to jar his ankle just six minutes earlier was hard to shake off for those of a City persuasion.

Pellegrini insisted it was just a kick on his heel. “We hope it’s not a serious problem.” he said.

Earlier it had been déjà vu as Ronald Koeman’s side who had carried all before them on their league travels so far this season suddenly disintegrated – just as they had in the final game of last season here.

 

That 2-0 defeat was the last league set back on foreign soil – and a repeat quickly looked on the cards as Saints sleepwalked into this game, dispensing gifts like a manic department store on Black Friday.

Maya Yoshida was easily dispossessed by Sterling who maintained his poise at speed, accelerating into the area before setting up de Bruyne who just managed the vital touch ahead of his shadow Ryan Bertrand.

The relief of Steven Davis clearly elbowing a goal bound Fernandino header around the post from De Bruyne’s corner was short lived from the resulting dead ball kick when Fabian Delph’s low strike beat Marten Stekelenburg with the help of a Virgil van Dijk deflection.

But when the south coast club finally went through the gears City’s mental stability came under examination.

In the second half Koeman really went for it, introducing the more expansive Dusan Tadic for midfield enforcer Oriol Romeu and it was City who then lived on their nerves, Tadic twice being denied by Caballero and Long almost adding to his goal.

 

Man City celebrate after Fabian Delph's goal

Pellegrini smiled: “Maybe now it’s not a crisis. Of course this was an important reaction.”

Disappointed Saints boss Koeman admitted: “Maybe we were lucky to be just 2-0 down because in the first 20 minutes we lost every ball. After that we showed what we can do.  The third goal for City killed the game.

“If you lose the ball to players like Sterling they will punish you.”

Manchester City: Caballero; Sagna, Demichelis, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Delph (Fernando 71); De Bruyne, Toure, Sterling (Silva 75); Aguero.

Southampton: Stekelenburg; Yoshida, Fonte (Caulker 36), Van Dijk, Bertrand; Wanyama, Ward-Prowse (Juanmi 77), Romeu (Tadic 46), Davis; Mane; Long.

Referee: R. East.