Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho (right) scores against Southampton in their English Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Sunday. The match ended 1-1. (Photo: AFP )
Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho (right) scores against Southampton in their English Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Sunday. The match ended 1-1. (Photo: AFP )
Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at home to Southampton on Sunday, although the performance again raised question marks over the title credentials of Pep Guardiola’s team after a fifth consecutive game without a victory.
Kelechi Iheanacho’s eighth goal in his last 11 league games cancelled out Nathan Redmond’s first-half opener for Southampton, which owed much to an extraordinary mistrake by City defender John Stones.
City, after winning their first 10 games under Spanish coach Guardiola, have suffered a major dip in form. Guardiola had spoken passionately in the wake of the midweek 4-0 defeat at former club Barcelona about his desire to stick to his footballing philosophy.
Those beliefs, however, must have been sorely tested in a first half in which his side failed to test Fraser Forster in the Southampton goal and fell behind to the visitors.
The Saints went ahead in the 27th minute following a disastrous back pass from England centre-half Stones, who nonchalantly laid the ball back into the City penalty area despite the presence of Redmond.
The forward retained his composure, beating Vincent Kompany to the ball and rounding Claudio Bravo before converting into the open net.
For all their defensive problems, however, City were equally ineffective at the other end in the first half — their best effort coming when Stones had a 31st-minute effort ruled out for offside.
The defender appeared to have made amends for his earlier error when he headed home Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick only for referee Mark Clattenburg to rule it out — a decision which replays suggested was harsh.
Instead, the Saints looked more likely to score, particularly on the break, with Dusan Tadic testing Bravo with an early cross-shot.
Guardiola wasted no time in altering his tactics at the interval, with Iheanacho replacing De Bruyne who was clearly still below peak form following a recent injury lay-off.
Moments later, Iheanacho equalised after a flowing move exposed gaps in Southampton’s defence with passes from Fernandinho and Leroy Sane allowing the young Nigerian to sweep in a confident finish from six yards.
Reds sink baggies In Liverpool, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho scored a pair of crackers to give Liverpool a 2-1 win over West Brom on Saturday but Gareth McAuley denied them a place at the top of the Premier League.
The impressive Merseysiders needed to win by at least two goals at Anfield if they were to climb to the summit of English football for the first time since May 2014.
They were on course until nine minutes from time when McAuley volleyed in from close range for West Brom following a Chris Brunt corner that Craig Dawson had touched into his path.
