A stellar second half performance saw Manchester City grab all three points against Southampton at the St. Mary's stadium. The score was goalless at half-time before Vincent Kompany broke the deadlock for the visitors. Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero followed suit as the Citizens completed a 3-0 win.
This win helped Pep Guardiola's side to leapfrog Liverpool into the third spot in the league table. After being knocked out of the Champions League, City are desperate to secure a top four place with Arsenal and Liverpool breathing down their neck. And they did just that with a comfortable win over Southampton. On that note, here are the five talking points from Manchester City's 3-0 win over the Saints:
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#1 Pep Guardiola still doesn't know his best eleven
When it clicks for his side, Pep Guardiola's men play some of the best football in England. But more often than not, City keep possession for longer periods of the game without attempting real penetration with intent. On some days, City have lacked clinical finishing while on others they have faltered with the final ball. Last night as well, in the first half, Manchester City had 66% of the ball but had no shots to show for it.
City are the only team left in the Premier League who have not named an unchanged lineup in consecutive games. The likes of Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Fabian Delph and Aleksandar Kolarov were dropped against Southampton which made it 100 changes in the starting lineup for Guardiola this season in his first season with the club.
It just goes on to show that the Spaniard is still unsure about his players and needs more time to build a playing eleven which can play week in week out.
#2 Manolo Gabbiadini is a fan favourite at the St. Mary's stadium
After missing Southampton's last three matches with a groyne injury, the Italian hotshot made his return to the starting lineup. The fans made a huge cheer when his name was announced in the playing eleven. Though he could not replicate his goalscoring heroics against Manchester City (he has scored four in his first four Premier League games), Gabbiadini created the most clear-cut chance which Dusan Tadic shot embarrassingly into the stands.
Gabbiadini was devoid of service as being a poacher, he did not look keen to drop deep to get involved in the game. He looked frustrated because of Southampton's inability to hold on to the ball and was then substituted on the hour mark. His exit was marked by huge boos from the Southampton faithful which displayed the Southerners' affection for their new found talisman. After Virgil Van Dijk and the local lads, Manolo Gabbiadini has been able to get the crowd behind him with his goalscoring abilities.
#3 Vincent Kompany shows his worth
Manchester City have always looked a formidable side when their captain Vincent Kompany plays in the heart of the defence. After being out injured for the majority of the season, Kompany started against Southampton and delivered a man of the match performance. He cleared every ball whenever dangerous arose while also making one block and one crucial interception.
He also covered well for Nicolas Otamendi who looks every bit of the part playing alongside one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
It was not just his defending which earned him the plaudits, though, as he also got on the scoresheet to score City's opener. From a David Silva corner, Vincent Kompany bullied his marker Maya Yoshida and scored a thumping header to give Manchester City a much-deserved lead.
If the Belgian stays fit for the majority of the next season, Manchester City can target big things under him and Pep Guardiola.
#4 Jack Stephens - the next bright talent to emerge from Southampton
Ahead of this game, a lot had been written about Stephens coming up against the mighty Sergio Aguero. The 23-year-old is a rookie at this level and was thrown straight into the action after Virgil Van Dijk suffered a season-ending injury. But the youngster surprised everyone with his assured display against one of the best strikers in the world.
He intercepted many of City's attacks, won 100% of his aerial duels and tackles whilst also making three blocks. Stephens also attempted more take ons than the likes of Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond. Southampton have produced many jewels from their famed academy in recent years with Stephens looking like being the next one coming out of the box.
Along with his defending abilities, Stephens performed the role of the leader of the backline against Manchester City and we are sure that this talented player's name will be heard on a number of occasions in the future as well.
#5 The curious case of Claudio Bravo
After his £17million move from Barcelona, much was expected of the custodian for whom Pep Guardiola had decided to offload the long-serving Joe Hart. But Bravo has failed to live up to the expectations and made some costly errors throughout the current campaign which forced Guardiola to drop him in favour of Willy Caballero.
Against Southampton, though, Bravo kept a rare clean sheet and also made a save off the shot of Maya Yoshida which helped him break the dubious feat of letting a goal in his last seven shots on target. His distribution was, however, sub-par as he took some wrong decisions when on the ball.
Though he didn't do anything shocking against the Saints, it wasn't a performance which would help his cause to stay in the starting lineup. He had looked dodgy in the past few months and that was the case again at the St. Mary's with Bravo looking seriously low on confidence at the moment.
