Manchester City vs Southampton Player Ratings: Erling Haaland strike enough to seal all three points at the Etihad

Manchester City overcame Southampton in a narrow 1-0 win in the Premier League on Saturday. Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the game in just the fifth minute, that eventually made all the difference between the sides. The Sky Blues kept pushing for more goals, mustering a total of 22 shots, but couldn’t break down a stoic Saints side. City provisionally climbed into first place with 23 points, while Southampton remain rooted at the bottom with just a single point and still winless in the top-flight campaign. Here are the player ratings:

Manchester City Player Ratings vs Southampton

Goalkeeper

Ederson – 7.5

A comfortable outing in goal for the City custodian as the Saints barely posed a threat.

Defenders

Rico Lewis – 7

Played his passes to perfection, but his involvement was otherwise minimal.

Manuel Akanji – 7

Distributed the ball superbly to help City maintain control of the game.

Ruben Dias – 7

Positionally aware, has excellent vision and has unerring accuracy with his passing.

Josko Gvardiol – 7.5

With six clearances, his vision was excellent, and created a few good chances for his teammates too.

Midfielders

Mateo Kovacic – 7.5

Made six tackles to impede Southampton’s movements, while also demonstrating his imperious ball-winning capabilities.

Forwards

Savinho – 8.5

Was key to winning back possession and terrorized the Saints defence with his precocious dribbling skills.

Phil Foden – 8.5

A revelation on the flanks with a staggering 11 crosses, while also creating four chances and completing 95% of his passes.

Bernardo Silva – 8

The Portuguese star was thoroughly involved in opening up Southampton’s backline, working in tandem with the attackers.

Matheus Nunes – 8.5

Laid six crosses and two key passes, while also setting up Haaland for his goal with a lovely chip from the byline.

Erling Haaland – 9

Didn’t give the Saints defense a moment’s rest; fired City in front after only five minutes into the kick-off.

Substitutes

Manager

Pep Guardiola – 8

A routine victory although he might feel the scoreline should’ve been much bigger.

Read More: Leicester City 1-3 Nottingham Forest Player Ratings as Chris Wood’s double sinks the Foxes

Southampton Player Ratings vs Manchester City

Goalkeeper

Aaron Ramsdale – 7

Made a staggering six saves to frustrate City with his goalkeeping brilliance.

Defenders

Kyle Walker-Peters – 6.5

Brilliant with his passing and created one chance too.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis – 7.5

With an impressive nine clearances and four shots blocked, the player certainly made a telling impact today.

Jan Bednarek – 6.5

Made six clearances and blocked two shots, while completing 95% of his passes too.

Jack Stephens – 6.5

Chased City players at every chance, looking to disrupt their momentum.

Ryan Manning – 4.5

Was on the fringes for most of the game and lacked pace most of the time.

Midfielders

Tyler Dibling – 5

Hardly any involvement during the opening stanza and was taken off at the break.

Flynn Downes – 5.5

Threw his weight around in defense, making two clearances, three tackles and one interception.

Adam Lallana – 6

Circulated the ball well but didn’t get involved much.

Mateus Fernandes – 7

Made five tackles and three interceptions to become a thorn in City’s flesh.

Forwards

Cameron Archer – 5

Was a non-factor for much of the game, but fired a good chance against the woodwork.

Substitutes

Adam Armstrong – 6

Drifted in and out of the game a lot.

Joe Aribo – 5

Minimal involvement for most of the half an hour he was on the field for.

James Bree – 6.5

Created one good chance towards the end.

Kamaldeen Sulemana – N/A

Came on to merely see the game off.

Paul Onuachu – N/A

Didn’t have enough time as he came alongside Sulemana in the closing stages of normal time.

Manager

Russell Martin – 7

Should be proud of his side’s performance tonight despite the loss.