Southampton 0-3 Manchester City
SERGIO AGUERO CREATED two goals as champions Manchester City leapfrogged Southampton into second place in the Premier League table with a steely 3-0 victory at St Mary’s on Sunday.
Yaya Toure drilled home Aguero’s pass in the 51st minute and although City centre-back Eliaquim Mangala was then sent off, late goals by substitute Frank Lampard and Gael Clichy secured victory for the visitors.
Mangala was shown a second yellow card in the 74th minute after barging over Shane Long, but Lampard and Clichy’s strikes safeguarded an impressive win that took City to within six points of leaders Chelsea.
Following previous wins over Swansea City and Bayern Munich, Manuel Pellegrini’s appear to have rediscovered some self-belief after a run of only one win in six games that began in mid-October.
Victory was not completely without complications, however, as a late injury to Vincent Kompany obliged them to see out the game with nine men.
It was a first home defeat since April for Southampton, who have embarked upon a testing sequence of fixtures that continues with Arsenal’s visit on Wednesday before they host Manchester United a week on Monday.
In the ninth minute, Sergio Aguero stole into the box and was sent flying by a sliding challenge from Jose Fonte, but although it appeared a clear penalty, referee Mike Jones booked the incredulous Argentine for diving.
Schneiderlin injured
It was then Southampton’s turn to survive a goal-mouth scare, with Toby Alderweireld blocking on the goal-line after Forster had taken the sting out of a shot from the recalled Stevan Jovetic.
Schneiderlin had to go off with a thigh injury at half-time, with centre-back Maya Yoshida coming on in his place and Alderweireld moving forward into midfield.
But it was City who broke the deadlock. Aguero gathered a through ball from Fernandinho and tiptoed into the box from the left before teeing up Toure, who crashed a 20-yard shot into the bottom-left corner with the aid of a slight deflection.
James Milner and Lampard were primarily sent on to stiffen City’s midfield, but they combined for the second goal in the 80th minute.
Milner found Lampard lurking on the edge of the box and the former Chelsea man thrashed a low shot past a motionless Forster.
An unlikely figure made the game safe in the 88th minute, with Clichy haring downfield to apply an assured finishing touch to Aguero’s delicate outside-of-the-foot pass.
