Sterling’s late strike restores City lead at top
THERE’S leaving it late, and then there’s Raheem Sterling’s dramatic winner here last night.
Two mistakes appeared to have cost Manchester City two points. Then, six minutes into stoppagetime, the England star produced a one-two with Kevin De Bruyne before chipping in a shot from outside the box that claimed a barely deserved victory.
It restored City’s lead at the top of the table to eight points, just when Manchester United thought the door had opened a fraction.
‘It was an astonishing end to the game,’ said City boss Pep Guardiola after frenzied scenes of celebration in the home dressing room. ‘They had ten guys in the box, it was so complicated to attack them. At the end our momentum kept going and Raheem scores a fantastic goal. What impresses me most is the heart with which we play. You have to celebrate when you score in the last breath like that.’
City didn’t play well but still looked as though they’d win after a De Bruyne goal early in the second half. But they squandered chances to finish the job and allowed Saints to equalise with 15 minutes left.
The first mistake allowed Ryan Bertrand to cross the ball from next to the corner flag. Two City defenders were in attendance and the left-back should have been halted.
The second mistake came from Fabian Delph. The cross had been overhit but he allowed Sofiane Boufal to control the ball and beat him with one touch. When he pulled it back, Oriol Romeu rammed it in to the net off the bar from 15 yards.
It was a lovely goal and Southampton maybe deserved a point. They had given it a go here only to miss two very good chances in the first half.
Wesley Hoedt should have scored in the 14th minute. A corner from the left was flicked on by Maya Yoshida and Hoedt was unattended on the six-yard line. The Dutchman made decent contact but his header hit the bar and bounced clear.
City broke down the other end and, within a matter of seconds, Sterling produced a low save from Fraser Forster from 18 yards. The keeper then had to dive low at his other post to push away a follow-up attempt from Gabriel Jesus. Fernandinho was also denied by Forster in the 20th minute after originally breaking up a Southampton counter while Nicolas Otamendi headed over after De Bruyne worked a neat short corner.
Forster saved again, this time with his feet, from Jesus before Ilkay Gundogan shovelled the rebound into the side netting.
But soon after the restart, City had their breakthrough. De Bruyne’s free-kick from the left was whipped to the front post. It seemed at first as though Otamendi had applied the touch that beat Forster or even Saints Virgil van Dijk but the goal was attributed to the Belgian.
At this point, Southampton had disappeared as an attacking force and Sergio Aguero could have finished things in the 62nd minute but headed over the bar. With a quarter of an hour to go, Bertrand’s cross from the left was overhit but controlled beautifully by Boufal and when the substitute pulled the ball back Romeu drove it high in to the goal from 15 yards. There was to be that final twist courtesy of Sterling, however, and City march on imperiously.