Manchester City picked up another Premier League win with a 1-0 victory over Southampton.
City were in midweek action at the Etihad Stadium where they beat Sparta Prague 5-0 for their latest Champions League match.
Back on Premier League duty, Pep Guardiola’s side kept their unbeaten streak going with their win over the Saints.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the fifth minute, scoring what turned out to be the only goal of the game.
Having helped his side pick up another three points following on from last weekend’s tight win at Wolves, one key figure from City’s squad shared his verdict on the Manchester club’s latest match and their opponents in particular.
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Bernardo Silva hails Southampton after tough Man City win
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Bernardo Silva gave this honest admission about the challenge Southampton gave City.
He said: “It was a tough game, a tough game where we had to run a lot.
“We scored early which we thought would make the game a little bit easier but it didn’t. Even when we had our chances to end the game with a second or third goal, we didn’t do it. We made it more difficult for us.
“Credit to Southampton, they made it difficult for us. Their patterns are very good, they deserve a lot more than what they’ve got in the Premier League. They’re a team that is playing with the ball.
“They put us into a lot of difficult areas of the pitch and made us run more than we are used to. We had to suffer to get the three points but we are happy with the three points.
“Three points is three points. It’s a win so we’re happy. I will have to check the game again but in terms of finishing, we could have finished one or two more plays. A lot of credit to them. It was a tough job for us today.”
How did Silva perform against Southampton?
Starting his eighth Premier League match this season, Silva completed the full 90 minutes against the Saints, as he has done in all eight games he’s started.
With 59 touches of the ball in total, the 30-year-old made two key passes but was unable to register a shot at goal or accurately complete any of the three crosses he made.
However, Silva did make two interceptions, one tackle and one clearances, which backs up his point about how hard Southampton made City work defensively.
In fact, the Saints had five attempts at goal in total and forced Ederson into making two saves for the home side.
As well as Silva’s honest admission, Pep Guardiola also highlighted how hard Southampton made it for Haaland to score after his early strike, saying this on the matter.
He said: “It is not easy for him because every cross is a penalty for Erling [Haaland], the way they pull him. We create more but we could not score the second, but Erling is a guarantee for us.”
Taking all of that on board, it’s clear that even though they were at home and Southampton are in the relegation zone, City had to fight for their victory against a stubborn and tough side.
