That’s your lot, then. Ben Fisher’s report is here. Thanks for reading this MBM. Stay safe and warm. Nighty night!
Pep talks. “It was an outstanding game. We conceded a goal, but made one of the best performances of the season. By far. If you analyse the result, it was 1-1. But how we played, how we behaved, it was excellent. We played better than the Arsenal game, which we won, but we draw. Sometimes you deserve it, sometimes you don’t. We played really, really well. Southampton are a really good team. We were brilliant in many things today. I said before, we are going to drop points. But the way we behaved was good. Now the positive thing is that people will say the title race is not over, and that is good for our side. It was not over two weeks ago, now, or in three weeks. Many tough games ahead of us. I would like to be 40 points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea, that would be a dream, but that is not possible in January.” He also straight bats questions about the possible transfer of River Plate forward Julián Álvarez. No scoop here!
Ralph Hasenhuttl talks to Sky Sports. “It was a super fight. They are so good, he is such an unbelievable manager, they play such good football, if you want to keep them away from your goal, it is so tough because they play passes no other team plays. You could see it meant a lot for them not to fail to win twice against us this season. But we had chances to score a second goal, the belief was there, our attitude was unbelievable, and the passion was exceptional. Everybody is super proud of this team.” He’s also delighted upon being told his team had 36 percent possession tonight; he had demanded 35 percent to have any chance of any sort of result.
Updated
Some hot manager chat to come ... but in the meantime, Ben Fisher’s report from St Mary’s has landed.
Kyle Walker-Peters, who stylish strike was his first Premier League goal, talks to Sky. “It wasn’t a bad finish, was it? I practice as much as I can, and finally I’ve got my first Premier League goal, and I’m happy. I’m almost stretching as I finish. I used the outside of my foot, because that’s where the ball bounced, and luckily I hit it sweetly. You can’t describe it. A great feeling, and really nice for it to be at home against the fans. It was against one of the top teams in the world, and I think we competed against them today. I’m really happy to get the goal.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl celebrates with great passion. Kyle Walker-Peters, who scored a simply fantastic goal in the first half, smiles broadly. Southampton couldn’t hang on for the win, and it’s only a draw ... but then a draw against this relentless Manchester City side isn’t only a draw. A fine performance by Southampton, who have now held the champions twice this season. They move up to 12th, while a small jolt of life has been given to the title race as City drop a couple of points for the first time in 13 matches. They’re still miles in front, but Liverpool have been given some encouragement ahead of their trip to Crystal Palace tomorrow. Nothing’s quite over yet, as Pep insisted before the game. It’s almost as though he knows exactly what he’s talking about.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 23 | 41 | 57 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 21 | 37 | 45 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 23 | 28 | 44 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 22 | 6 | 38 |
| 5 | West Ham | 23 | 10 | 37 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | 4 | 36 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 20 | 8 | 35 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 21 | 3 | 34 |
| 9 | Brighton | 21 | 0 | 29 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 21 | -4 | 26 |
| 11 | Leicester | 19 | -3 | 25 |
| 12 | Southampton | 22 | -8 | 25 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 21 | -1 | 24 |
| 14 | Brentford | 23 | -12 | 23 |
| 15 | Leeds | 21 | -16 | 22 |
| 16 | Everton | 20 | -11 | 19 |
| 17 | Norwich | 22 | -32 | 16 |
| 18 | Newcastle | 21 | -22 | 15 |
| 19 | Watford | 20 | -17 | 14 |
| 20 | Burnley | 17 | -11 | 11 |
Updated
FULL TIME: Southampton 1-1 Manchester City
BREAKING NEWS: Manchester City have failed to win a Premier League match!
90 min +7: ... but De Bruyne can’t beat the first man, and ...
90 min +6: Ederson lumps long. De Bruyne gets on the end and slams a speculative shot goalwards from a tight angle. Forster parries round the post for a corner. One last chance for City!
90 min +5: Dias flays a dismal pass out of play on the right. Saints so close now to halting City’s amazing winning run.
90 min +4: Play is stopped as Perraud takes an accidental whack on the ankle from Walker.
90 min +3: De Bruyne hoicks the free kick into the box. Salisu gets yet another block in. He’s also named man of the match by Sky co-commentator Alan Smith. Fully deserved, as he’s number one tonight in clearances, interceptions and tackles.
90 min +2: Elyounoussi brings down De Bruyne, out on the right. He’s booked, and this is exactly the same spot City’s first goal came from.
90 min +1: As the board went up for the added time, Salisu executed a perfectly timed tackle on De Bruyne, whipping the ball off the City star’s boot. He’s now getting his name sung to the rafters by the home fans.
90 min: There will be six added minutes.
88 min: Silva loops from the right. Grealish takes the ball down on the edge of the six-yard box. His shot is blocked out for a corner by Salisu. The corner’s worked back to De Bruyne, who aims a forensic low heatseeker towards the bottom right from distance. The ball flies inches wide. Had that been on target, Forster was beaten all ends up. The keeper was rooted to the spot.
87 min: Elyounoussi has the opportunity to release Adams down the right, but opts to go on a clock-eating wander down the left instead. A strange decision, but there we have it.
86 min: Saints go about upping that possession stat by a rare period of sustained passing. The ball eventually ends up at the feet of Diallo, just to the right of the D. A chance for a shot. He takes it, but scuffs lamely into the hands of Ederson.
84 min: Hasenhuttl wanted his team to secure at least 35 percent of the possession this evening. They’ve only managed 24 percent. Will it be enough to hold on for a draw against the champions, who are searching for the goal that would give them their 13th consecutive win?
83 min: Foden strides down the left and curls infield, hoping to find Jesus. A defender deflects the ball towards Forster, who gathers gratefully.
Updated
82 min: That Armstrong challenge on Laporte was the sort made by a tired player, and he’s replaced by Diallo.
81 min: Cancelo whistles a low cross through the Saints six-yard box. Jesus stretches to connect at the far stick, but Perraud shepherds the ball away from danger.
80 min: Common sense prevails again. Armstrong stays on the pitch.
79 min: Nothing clear and obvious, and play goes on. That’s the correct decision, though other interpretations will be available on the internet. Then just after the restart, Armstrong hangs out a leg and connects with Laporte, his studs glancing off the defender’s thigh. It looks accidental, mistimed rather than malicious. He’s shown yellow, but VAR will check for serious foul play.
78 min: VAR is taking a long look, though. Salisu may have caught De Bruyne on the line. If this is given, it’ll be a light brush and a pretty soft penalty. But a touch is a touch is a touch. Tension crackles around St Mary’s.
Updated
76 min: ... but they’re still pressing Saints back in their final third. De Bruyne goes over as he forces his way into the Saints box down the right, and wants a penalty, but yet again the referee shows little interest.
75 min: A welcome lull for Saints as City take it down a notch and go back to their earlier patient selves.
73 min: Ward-Prowse is lucky to get away with a kick on Foden’s knee, just outside the Saints box. No foul. Hm. Then some welcome relief for Saints as Broja breaks and is hauled down by Cancelo. No yellow for that. Hm. Sixty seconds of laissez-faire refereeing from Simon Hooper.
72 min: Cancelo curls from the left to Jesus at the far post. Jesus powers a header towards the bottom right from close range. Forster closes the gap and Ward-Prowse helps him wallop clear.
71 min: Lyanco comes on for Bednarek.
70 min: ... De Bruyne nearly replicates his wonder goal against Chelsea. He sends a power curler slamming off the right-hand post, Forster beaten all ends up. What a goal that would have been.
69 min: Cancelo romps down the left and wins a corner. From which ...
68 min: A corner for City out on the right. It’s played back to Cancelo, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked. Then some pinball in the Saints area. The ball smacks Salisu in the face. Oof. Foden smacked that flush on his nose. City claim a penalty, but they don’t get one. Southampton are suddenly all over the shop, though.
Updated
66 min: Saints fail to clear their heads. Foden takes advantage by powering into acres of space down the left. He crosses towards Jesus, who is inches away from connecting, eight yards out. So close to a rapid Tottenham-v-Leicesteresque turnaround.
GOAL! Southampton 1-1 Manchester City (Laporte 65)
Adams yanks the shoulder of Jesus out on the right. Free kick. De Bruyne swings in. Saints push up fatally. Rodri is caught offside, but Laporte, who meets the cross, has timed his run powerfully from deep, and bashes a header past Forster from close range!
Updated
64 min: Armstrong is good to continue, for now at least.
63 min: Armstrong is down getting treatment for his troublesome calf. It’d be a huge shame for the seriously underrated midfielder if he has to go off; he’s made some fine lung-busting runs this evening in his usual dynamic style.
62 min: Cancelo, quarterbacking from deep, nearly finds Jesus in the Saints box with a rake down the inside-right channel. Jesus extends a leg in the hope of trapping and whipping a shot goalwards, but can’t quite reach it. Goal kick.
60 min: City make their first change, replacing Sterling, who missed that golden opportunity in the first half, with Jesus.
59 min: A bit of space for Rodri, 25 yards out. He takes a touch and aims for the top right. Forster isn’t getting there if it’s on target, but it scrapes the top of the bar and bounces off the top of the net.
58 min: Silva drifts in from the right and loops a cross towards Foden, coming in from the other flank. He meets the dropping ball first time, and creams a volley towards the bottom right. Forster parries well. Great football all round.
56 min: Now it’s the Southampton fans’ turn to belt out the classics. Oh when the Saints, etc. A great atmosphere at St Mary’s this evening.
54 min: What a chance pt.II. Armstrong curls the corner in from the right. At the near stick, Broja overpowers Ederson and heads onto the post. The rebound falls to Bednarek, who slices horribly wide when presented with an unguarded goal. Saints will wonder how they’ve not just doubled their lead.
53 min: Armstrong powers through the middle and slips a ball down the inside-right channel for Broja, who strides purposefully into the box, cocks his leg back to shoot when one on one with Ederson, and ... is slide-tackled by Laporte at the expense of a corner. What a chance!
52 min: This is getting very hectic. The ball is being pinged around at a daft velocity. It’s a state of affairs that will surely benefit City more than the hosts. The away fans, sensing a wind behind, belt out a loud rendition of Blue Moon.
50 min: Adams has half a chance to break upfield, but loses confidence and checks back. Soon enough City force Armstrong into the concession of yet another corner. Some head tennis. Finally the ball ends up in Forster’s arms, but Southampton are being seriously stress-tested here. City have cranked it up a notch.
48 min: The corner’s worked back to De Bruyne, who curls in from the right. Broja, surrounded by dangerously positioned peacoat-shirted folk, flicks diligently behind for a corner. Nothing comes of this one.
47 min: ... and City come close to wiping it out! First Grealish sends a ball through a crowded box from the left. Then Rodri sends a shot from the edge of the box towards the bottom right. Forster turns it around the post for a corner.
46 min: Perraud wins a Southampton corner within 25 seconds of the restart. The hosts load the City box. Ward-Prowse swings it in. Bednarek glances goalwards at the near stick. Ederson parries. So close to doubling Southampton’s lead!
Saints get the second half underway. They’ve made a change at the break, swapping out Redmond for Elyounoussi. “Manchester City’s kit colour today is ‘peacoat’, according to the official Premier League Handbook,” reports Andrew Goudie. “This nonsense has to stop. I was only searching its 671 pages to see if they have a policy on drones. Turns out they don’t.”
Half-time entertainment. Jonathan Liew considers Tottenham’s astonishing smash and grab at Leicester last Wednesday, and wonders whether it could be the start of something special.
HALF TIME: Southampton 1-0 Manchester City
... as does the second, and the champions and current runaway Premier League leaders are in the rare position of trailing. Big second half coming up!
45 min +1: The first of two added minutes passes without incident.
45 min: Sterling can’t sort his feet out, just inside the Saints box. The chance of a shot passes him by as the home defence steal away with the ball.
44 min: A little space and time for Walker down the right. His low driven cross is smothered by Forster. It’s not as though City aren’t relentlessly attacking as usual.
42 min: Rodri bobbles a shot harmlessly wide left from the edge of the box.
41 min: De Bruyne shapes to lash a shot goalwards, only for Redmond to extend his big toe and prod it away from the City star’s boot, just in time.
40 min: Adams rakes a pass down the right, hoping that Broja can beat Laporte in a footrace. He can’t, not this time. But he looks dangerous every time he gets involved. City’s defence have a job on tonight.
38 min: Foden and Grealish combine down the left. The ball’s fizzed through the six-yard box. It somehow evades all dark blue shirts and is cleared by Redmond. But the champions come again, Foden crossing from the left and finding Sterling six yards out. He’s only got Forster to beat, and the keeper is falling backwards ... but his shot is straight at the keeper, who kicks away sensationally! City should be level. What a huge chance that was ... though hats off for the save.
Updated
36 min: Redmond has the chance of releasing Armstrong down the middle, a huge hole having opened in the centre of the City defence. He overcooks the pass, though, and Armstrong can’t reach it before Dias and Ederson combine to snuff out the danger.
34 min: A City corner out on the right. It’s taken quickly. Grealish hoicks into the middle. It’s half cleared. Sterling comes back at Southampton and dribbles into the box down the right. He opens his body and looks for the curler into the top left. The ball flies inches over the bar. Had that been on target, Forster was getting nowhere near.
32 min: Bednarek rakes his boot down Grealish’s shin and is quite rightly booked for it. That could easily have been a red card. Grealish’s ire is doubled when Romeu accuses him of play-acting. He springs up and attempts to instigate fisticuffs. It all calms down before anyone does anything regrettable.
30 min: City waste another corner, playing it short, Cancelo sending the ball out of play, once again shaking his head sadly.
28 min: Broja is flagged offside again. It’s good news for City, and especially Ederson, because before the decision was made, the striker beat Ederson to the ball down the inside-left channel and was brought down by the keeper. Had he been on, it may well have been a penalty.
27 min: Not that City are panicking exactly, and here they come again. Grealish sashays smoothly down the left and earns another corner. The ball’s worked back to Cancelo, who sends his shot flying over the Solent.
25 min: City show the first signs of frustration, Perraud battling with Sterling out on the Saints left, winning the tussle, then drawing a free kick. Sterling’s demeanour betrays a little irritability. A bit early for it, you’d have thought, so it’s all good news for Southampton.
23 min: They’d have been really happy had this stood. Romeu threads a pass down the inside-left channel to release Broja behind a strangely flat-footed City back line. He races clear and enters the box. He pauses, and briefly looks to have wasted the chance, but it’s all part of the grift, and he calmly slots into the bottom left, having completely confused Ederson. But the flag goes up - correctly - for offside.
Updated
22 min: Armstrong busies himself down the left and briefly threatens to break clear, but he’s ushered off the ball by Walker and Silva. Saints will be very happy with the way this is going.
20 min: De Bruyne, deep on the left, tries to find Silva at the far stick with a raking diagonal ball. It sails out of play for a goal kick. City have already made 210 passes to Southampton’s 40. But look at the scoreline.
19 min: A lovely on-a-sixpence turn by Grealish in the middle of the park. He tears off down the left, and attempts to release Foden into the box, but Bednarek slides in to clear. City are beginning to ask some questions.
17 min: De Bruyne slips a clever pass down the left channel to release Cancelo into the box. He reaches the byline and whips a cross into the centre, but it’s an easy claim for Forster at his near post. Cancelo should have done better. Saints were opened up there.
16 min: Sterling swings one in from the right. Forster, making his 200th appearance in English football, plucks easily from the sky.
15 min: Broja powers his way down the right but can’t find Redmond or Adams in the middle with his cross. Another promising move by Saints down this flank, though. On the touchline, Ralph Hasenhuttl puffs his cheeks out then blows hard. He knows it’s going to be a long, hard evening’s work, one way or another.
13 min: City respond to falling behind by passing it around patiently. It’s what they do.
11 min: Bednarek mades his presence felt by Grealish, clattering him to the ground in the no-nonsense style. Hard and not totally fair, though it’s nothing more than a free kick. Grealish stays down awhile holding his foot, but he’s up again soon enough. Saints, if it wasn’t made obvious already by the scoreline, appear to be in the mood to take the fight to City.
9 min: Walker-Peters and pals celebrate with stunned looks on their faces. That’s the right-back’s first Premier League goal, and only the third conceded in a first half by City all season. It was a sumptuous finish.
Updated
GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Manchester City (Walker-Peters 7)
What a finish this is! Walker-Peters strides down the right. He slips the ball further down the wing for Redmond, who reaches the byline and returns the ball with a cutback. Walker-Peters takes a touch as he enters the box and, with the outside of his boot, sends an unstoppable shot across Ederson and into the top left! Wow!
Updated
7 min: Foden and Grealish exchange passes crisply as City shuttle the ball left to right. Sterling should release Walker into the box down the right channel, but undercooks the pass. Bad move, because Saints go up the other end, and ...
5 min: Ward-Prowse floats it into the City mixer. Salisu rises highest, but can only send a weak header wide left of the City goal. Still, that little period of play will give Saints encouragement after City’s ball-hogging start.
4 min: City keep on with the keep ball. But then Rodri miscontrols, Ward-Prowse snaffles, and Dias bowls Adams to the ground. A free kick just outside the centre circle.
2 min: Foden swings it in. Armstrong heads behind, and it’s the first corner of the evening. City play it short. De Bruyne eventually swings it in. Salisu heads it out. Saints have hardly had a touch yet.
1 min: Grealish storms down the left and earns the first free kick of the evening, knocked over by Romeu. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Saints box.
City get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes the knee to warm applause. There’s no room for racism.
The teams are out! They’re played onto the park by the chaps below, who perform a version of When The Saints Go Marching In. Saints wear their trademark red and white stripes, while City sport third-choice dark blue. We’ll be off in a few semiquavers.
Of course, Pep Guardiola will have made one or two demands of his team, too. “We know we are going to drop points, to lose games. It is how you are going to react in that moment. When you make 12 victories in a row, people start to think ‘they are invincible’, but this is not true. We are going to drop points. Hopefully not today, but it is going to happen. We are in the middle of January, and nobody will be champions. From our experience it is always tough against Southampton and it will be no different today.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl, who has set his team a minimum target of 35 percent possession, explains this to Sky. “City are very used to playing against deep defending teams. They always find solutions. So we do not hide, we try to play brave, this is what we are known for and what we will try to do.”
Southampton make three changes in the wake of their 3-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Kyle Walker-Peters, Stuart Armstrong and Che Adams take the places of Lyanco, Nathan Tella and Ibrahima Diallo.
Manchester City make just one change to the XI named for the 1-0 victory over Chelsea last weekend. Ruben Dias is preferred to John Stones.
The teams
Southampton: Forster, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud, Redmond, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Stuart Armstrong, Adams, Broja.
Subs: Lyanco, Stephens, Long, Adam Armstrong, Caballero, Elyounoussi, Diallo, Walcott, Valery.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Sterling, De Bruyne, Grealish, Foden.
Subs: Stones, Ake, Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, Fernandinho, Carson, Slicker, McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Preamble
In which champions and league leaders Manchester City try to make it 13 wins in a row, while hosts Southampton try to replicate their performance last September at the Etihad, where they were well worth a draw and could easily have ended up with all three points. Kick off is at 5.30pm GMT. It’s on!
