Some post-match reading ...
The Guardian’s Dominic Fifield can type so fast that it probably took him less time to write this very long article about Antonio Conte than it will take you to read it. It’s a belter, so enjoy. And have a happy Easter.
Full time: Southampton 0-3 Manchester
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeep! It’s all over. Manchester City take the points courtesy of goals from Vincent Kompany, Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero. They go third in the table ahead of Liverpool, having played the same number of games.
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90+2 min: Manchester City’s players try to run down the clock, passing the ball around amongst themselves as Southampton’s players mentally imlore the referee to put them out of their misery. This was a tight game until Manchester City scored their second goal, but they’ve run out easy winners in the end.
90+1 min: We’re into the first of four suggested minutes of added time.
89 min: BT co-comms man Steve McManaman decides Vincent Kompany is his man of the match and who’d begrudge the Belgian the accolade after the miserable season he’s had. He opened the scoring for City and has added some much-needed backbone to their defence this evening.
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87 min: Man City substitution: Sergio Aguero off, Kelechi Iheanacho on. The scorer of City’s third goal makes his way off the pitch and gets a big hug from Pep Guardiola.
86 min: Man City substitution: Raheem Sterling on for Leroy Sane.
85 min: I should add that the exchange between Long and Black didn’t look heated. Claude Puel was listening in with the air of a man who had no idea what was going on.
82 min: Manchester City substitution: Pablo Zabaleta on for David Silva. Southampton substitution: Shane Long, who came on earlier, goes off again. He heads down the tunnel after an exchange with Claude Puel’s assistant Eric Black. I presume he’s injured, as he was upended in a challenge moments before leaving the field. Jay Rodriguez replaces him.
GOAL! Southampton 0-3 Man City (Aguero 80)
Aguero! Sergio Aguero gets between two defenders and leaps to get on the end of a Kevin De Bruyne cross from the right and head home from five yards.
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GOAL! SOUTHAMPTON 0-2 MANCHESTER CITY (Sane 77)
Sane! A lightning fast Manchester City ends with Kevin De Bruyne side-footing to Leroy Sane, who slots home from about seven yards. That was an excellent goal.
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74 min: Yoshida rises highest to meet a cross in the penalty area, but doesn’t get ewnough on it and skims his effort wide off the head of Otamendi. Corner for Southampton. From that one, they win another but nothing comes of it.
73 min: Dusan Tadic shimmies this way and that before crossing from the left. Unmarked at the back post, Maya Yoshida heads straight at Claudio Bravo.
72 min: Southampton corner. Kompany clears with a towering header.
71 min: Into the final 20 minutes we go, with Manchester City leading but looking far from convincing. Sergio Aguero tries to weave his way through the Southampton defence and double his team’s lead, but Jack Stephens takes the ball off him with a well-timed challenge in the penalty area.
69 min: It’s heart in mouth time for Man City fans as Bravo makes a mess of an attempt to play the ball out from his own six-yard box. He gets away with it, despite giving the ball away. Boufal puts the ball out for a goal-kick.
69 min: Navas is fit to continue and play resumes with the ball being thrown back to Claudio Bravo.
67 min: Jesus Navas goes down injured and is in obvious distress. He looks decidedly unimpressed when somebody passes the ball his way and passes it out of play for a Southampton throw-in that won’t be taken until he has received treatment.
66 min: Ryan Bertrand stands a cross from the left up on the edge of the six-yard box, but Nicolas Otamendi clears under pressure from Bertrand.
63 min: Jack Stevens dives in to block a David Silva shot from just inside the area, with Fraser Forster marooned on the ground after diving at the feet of Aguero to stop the City striker getting on the end of a Kevin De Bruyne cross.
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61 min: Kompany attempts to double his tally, but his poke from close range is blocked.
60 min: Southampton double substitution: James Ward-Prowse and Manolo Gabbiadini off, Shane Long and Soufiane Boufal on.
57 min: A timely goal from Kompany in a game that was looking as if it might slip away from Man City. It’s far form over, but City have the lead courtesy of a powerful header from a delighted Vincent Kompany. It’s his first goal since August 2015.
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Manchester City
Kompany! From a corner, Vincent Kompany outjumps Maya Yoshida to score from close range with a downward header.
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55 min: Man City win a free3-kick wide on the left, but Kevin De Bruyne’s delivery is poor and cut out by the first defender. Jesus Navas pounces on the clearance and shoots goalwards. Forster saves theatrically for the cameras.
53 min: Yaya tries to split the Saints defence with a through-ball to David Silva, who was lurking with intent. It’s cut out.
51 min: Free-kick for Southampton wide on the left, near the angle of the penalty area. James Ward-Prowse whips the ball a few yards wide of the near upright. Bravo had it covered, which is no guarantee he would have stopped it.
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49 min: Redmond gets the better of Navas and sends in a cross. Vincent Kompany clears.
48 min: The ball drops for Yaya Toure on the edge of the Southampton and he fires his goalwards. His shot is weak and Forster gathers comfortably. A bright start to the second half by City.
47 min: Nathan Redmond tries to jink his way down the left flank and passes two players but Jesus Navas puts a stop to his gallop, booting the ball off the bearded winger’s toe.
Second half: Southampton 0-0 Manchester City
46 min: Play resumes in the second half with no changes on either side.
I stand corrected ...
Fraser Forster did get a touch - a very faint one - on the ball as Leroy Sane attempted to go around him. BT Sport’s refereeing expert consultant has seen it several times on video replay and is sticking to his guns, saying the goalkeeper didn’t touch the ball. He’s wrong.
Half-time: Southampton 0-0 Man City
Peep! The teams go in for the break with the deadlock unbroken. It’s been reasonably entertaining, without ever getting too exciting. Both sides have had their chances - Southampton had the best of them, but City had more. They’ll feel aggrieved not to have won a penalty when Leroy Sane looked to have been brought down by Fraser Forster as he tried to round the giant goalkeeper.
45+1 min: With Southampton’s players backing off, Fernandinho unleashes a pile-driver from the edge of the area which Maya Yoshida stops with his face. Rather him than me.
45 min: David Silva pulls a low drive wide of the upright from outside the penalty area.
44 min: Wincing with pain, Sergio Aguero hobbles to the sideline and awaits permission to return to action from the referee.
43 min: Sergio Aguero goes down holding his achilles after being trod upon by Ryan Bertrand. That hurt and he’s still down. Enter the physio.
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42 min: Cedric gets booked for a late tackle on Fernandinho.
40 min: Hmmmm ... another replay shows Forster might have got the faintest of touches on the ball as Leroy Sane tried to take the ball around him. I’ve seen it in real time and three replays and still can’t be certain.
39 min: Southampton win a corner after good work from Bertrand down the inside left channel. James Ward-Prowse sends the ball into the penalty area, where Claudio Bravo punches towards the far touchline.
37 min: Leroy Sane is put through on goal and Fraser Forster rushes off his line and dives at his feet. The goalkeeper doesn’t get the ball, but trips Sane with his hand. The refereee awards a corner, but the penalty Manchester City should have had. Replays show there was no doubt whatsoever that Forster tripped Sane. Nothing comes of the corner.
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37 min: Sergio Aguero shows quick feet to pick out David Silva with a deft cross to the far post. The Spaniard volleys into the side-netting.
34 min: Claudio Bravo is forced off his line to punch a high ball clear. It drops for Cedric, who drills it back into the mixer. City clear. southampton attack down the right flank and Steven Davis heads over.
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33 min: Steven Davies plays the ball forward to Manolo Gabbiadini and Southampton’s runners get some runners up in support. City win possession back and bring play up the far end of the pitch. Aguero is robbed of possession on the channel between left touchline and penalty area as he waited for Gael Clichy to get up in support.
32 min: Possession so far: Southampton 30%-70% Man City. FOr all City’s dominance in possession, Southampton have had the best chance of the match so far, although neither goalkeeper has actually made a save yet.
31 min: Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg is booked for a late challenge on David Silva.
30 min: Foul throw! Jesus Navas is penalised for a foul throw deep inside his own half, prompting much mirth among Southampton fans. He’s not used to playing full-back, so he probably hasn’t taken many. Still, though.
28 min: Otamendi and Aguero exchange passes on the edge of the Southampton penalty area before playing the ball wide to Kevin De Bruyne. His first touch is poor and means his shot is delayed. Ryan Bertrand is able to block.
25 min: A good decoy run from Leroy Sane leaves David Silva in acres of space to pick up a Kevin De Bruyne pass on the edge of the penalty area, left side. He stands it up at the far post, but there’s nobody in a City shirt there to do anything with the ball.
24 min: Another corner for City. Silva sends it high towards the middle of the penalty area, where his target Nicolas Otamendi is unable to leap high enough to get his head to the ball.
21 min: Manchester City get themselves in a bit of a defensive dither before breaking up the field. Southampton rush back in numbers and the attack breaks down. Cue: much passing between various City players a few yards either side of the halfway line.
19 min: From the edge of the Saints penalty area, Kevin De Bruyne curls the ball across the edge of the six-yard box. Jack Stephens heads clear and the ball comes back to KDB, whose next delivery is put out for a corner. Nothing comes of it.
18 min: Claudio Bravo receives a backpass and plays the ball out under pressure from Dusan Tadic, electing to lump it forwards when it looked in danger of being caught in possession.
15 min: A dreadful miss from Dusan Tadic, who fires over the bar from about 14 yards with a wild swipe after being teed up by Manolo Gabbiadini. It was a great move from Southampton, with Redmond picking out Gabbiadini with a beautiful pass up the inside left channel. It was the chance of the game so far and Tadic snatched at it when he had all the time in the world.
14 min: A momentary lull, with play focussed in the middle third of the pitch as nothing much happens for three consecutive minutes.
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11 min: Dusan Tadic commits another foul, this time tugging Vincent Kompany’s shirt as the central defender tried to run the ball out of defence.
10 min: Southampton attack down the left wing, but concede a throw-in when Nathan Redmond is put off his stride by Kevin De Bruyne.
9 min: Kevin De Bruyne’s outswinger finds Sergio Aguero on the edge of the Southampton penalty area, from where he shins a volley wide. It was a difficult chance, but a chance nonetheless.
8 min: Fernandinho, Navas and De Bruyne swap passes down the right touchline and City win a throw-in, followed by the first corner of the game.
6 min: David Silva picks up the ball on the halfway line and plays it left to Gael Clichy. Play switches to the opposite touchline, where Jesus Navas and Kevin De Bruyne exchange passes. Manchester City continue to pass around inside their own half ... move along, nothing to see here.
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5 min: Another Aguero chance goes begging. Kevin De Bruyne finds him with a pass from the right touchline put the Argentinian pulls his low diagonal shot wide of the far upright.
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4 min: Manchester City attack down the left flank, with Leroy Sane, David Silva and Gael Clichy combining well. Clichy gets a fine corss in and Sergio Aguero stretches every sinew to try and kung-fu kick the ball goalwards. It’s a mite too high for him - might he have headed it?
3 min: Redmond robs Kevin De Bruyne halfway inside the Manchester City half and tries to pick out Dusan Tadic. Yaya Toure intercepts and is off, but Tadic brings him down.
2 min: Southampton enjoy an early spell of possession until Maya Yoshida overhits a pass out to Nathan Redmond on the left touchline. Throw-in for City and a chance for their players to get a foot on the ball.
Southampton v Man City is go ...
1 min: Manchester City get the ball rolling, with their players kitted out in their usual light blue kits. Southampton’s wear red and white striped shirts, black shorts and red and white socks.
Claudio Bravo is a vision in white ...
The Manchester City keeper, who has let in the past seven shots fired his way, is wearing white kit. It just looks wrong.
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Not long now ...
The teams are in the tunnel: Actually, they’re no longer in the tunnel. They amble out on to the Saint Mary’s pitch and line up for the last of the pre-match formalities: handshakes and the coin-toss. Kick-off is a couple of minutes away.
Les Reed comes in for praise
On BT Sport, Jake, Stevie G and Ian Wright are discussing Southampton’s excellent player recruitment policy, which is headed by Les Reed.Only a decade or so ago, Les was an object of ridicule during a six-week spell as manager of Charlton Athletic, with whom he won just one game. Like Alan Partridge, needless to say he’s had the last laugh.
Four changes for Manchester City
Pep Guardiola brings in Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi in place of Aleksander KOlarov and John Stones. Pep has just told BT SPort’s Des Kelly that Stones is injured, but didn’t elaborate on its nature. In midfield, Fernandinho comes in for Fabian Delph and Kevin De Bruyne replaces Raheem Sterling, who is on the bench. As expected, Southampton welcome back Steven Davis and Manolo Gabbiadini from injury.
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Southampton v Manchester City
Southampton: Forster, Cedric, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand, Davis, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Redmond, Gabbiadini.
Subs: Clasie, Long, Rodriguez, Caceres, Martina, Boufal, Hassen.
Man City: Bravo, Jesus Navas, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy, Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Sane, Aguero.
Subs: Zabaleta, Fernando, Sterling, Kolarov, Caballero, Iheanacho, Garcia.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Greetings sports fans ...
To Saint Mary’s, where a win for Manchester City will help them leapfrog Liverpool – who have played one match more – into third place in the Premier League table and boost their chances of a top three finish. Southampton have little to play for, but are looking for their third consecutive win following victories over Crystal Palace and West Brom. Kick-off is at 5.30pm BST, but stay tuned for team news and build-up.
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