Southampton vs Man City result: Five things we learned as Raheem Sterling goal earns win

Man City beat Southampton at St Mary’s

Raheem Sterling celebrates after putting Manchester City in front of Southampton (Reuters)

Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game as Manchester City defeated Southampton at St Mary’s in the Premier League.

Sterling scored the winner for City as he turned in Kevin de Bruyne’s driven cross for his fourth league goal of the season.

Southampton could feel particularly aggrieved to not have been awarded a penalty when Ruben Dias swung his foot in a dangerous manner towards Danny Ings’ face as the striker headed wide, but Mike Dean waved away the appeals.

The win takes Manchester City up to fifth in the table, just a single point and place behind Southampton – who have played an extra match.

Here are five things we learned from the game at St Mary’s.

1. Manchester City need a true striker, despite their fluidity

Ferran Torres was entirely anonymous in the first half, and City seemed to be lacking a focal point from which to attack through the middle.

It was a strange one, as Torres often moved wide to try and find space while the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and de Bruyne filling the space, with the Belgian often finding himself as the key central attacker.

City employed an incredibly fluid front four, with Bernardo Silva, de Bruyne and Torres all moving freely in the final third, but they do miss that killer instinct.

Gabriel Jesus has not exactly set the world alight during his appearances this season and Sergio Aguero has once again struggled with injury. The big question for City is who can replace their Argentine record scorer, and when?

Sterling scored the only goal of the game (Reuters)

2. Saints can march to Europe…

Ralph Hasenhüttl deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

On October 25th 2019, Southampton lost 9-0 at home to Leicester City, and Hasenhüttl has galvanised them since that moment, taking the club from strength to strength.

He has the players giving their all out on the field for him, with James Ward-Prowse showcasing comfort and skill on the ball that makes him more than capable to play for England, while Theo Walcott looks like a different player to the one that got cast aside at Everton.

They may have fallen to City on this occasion, but this Southampton team proved that they can absolutely compete for a European place at the business end of the season.

3. …but they need more firepower

Che Adams is a decent player, but Southampton need more output if they are to keep up their incredible start to the season.

Adams’ link-up play was solid – and at times, lovely to watch – but Southampton need him to find the net more alongside Danny Ings.

The 24-year old missed a golden opportunity to equalise just after the half an hour mark when he failed to get any contact on a cross, and while he has got four goals to his name, he lacked composure against City.

A quality striker to partner with Ings, or the addition of a goal-scoring winger, should be a priority for the Saints heading into January – particularly if Ings is side-lined by the injury he sustained in the defeat.

4. Sterling significance for Guardiola

Raheem Sterling’s 16th minute goal was his 149th goal contribution under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Using that metric, the England winger has been Guardiola’s most productive weapon at City with more goal involvements than any other player during the Spaniard’s tenure.

It’s an impressive accomplishment for Sterling, proving that he is one of City’s key players alongside de Bruyne as well as one of the top forwards in European football.

5. Refreshed Walcott rolls back the years

Theo Walcott has been in the national spotlight for what feels like forever, but the winger turned the tables of father time.

The 31-year old put in a gutsy, lung-busting performance and was a constant threat down the right-hand side.

The way Walcott was running at defenders and showcasing his willingness to take them on – with most being successful – was incredible, and Joao Cancelo will genuinely be pleased to see the back of him.

Walcott’s former clubs, Everton and Arsenal, face each other later this evening, and both teams could do with this new, refreshed version of the winger.