Manchester City achieved a club record of 12 Premier League wins in a row as they dramatically beat Southampton 2-1 to consolidate their eight-point gap over Manchester United.
Pep Guardiola’s men came into the game off the back of a hard-fought victory away to Huddersfield Town on Sunday, with Raheem Sterling being City’s hero on the night. Southampton managed to get only their fourth win of the season when they humiliated Everton in a 4-1 home win on the same day.
In the first half, City dominated from the start and forced Southampton back into their own box. Saints keeper Fraser Forster made some crucial saves for the away side as they looked to weather a relentless storm from the league leaders. The visitors did, in fact, have the better opportunities of the half when Wesley Hoedt’s header hit the bar from a corner and Maya Yoshida missed another headed opportunity.
In the second half, City took the lead through a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick that sneaked in off the boot of Virgil van Dijk. Despite going behind, Southampton put in a spirited display and were rewarded for their efforts when substitute Sofiane Boufal pulled the ball back for Oriol Romeu to smash into the roof of the net. With time running out for City, Raheem Sterling was the hero again as he curled in a beautiful shot from outside of the box to secure all three points in what would have been the last kick of the game.
Here are our player ratings from the match.
