Manchester City smash five past Southampton to open 14-point lead

Manchester City bounced back from derby loss after beating Southampton 5-2 in a Premier League clash staged at Etihad Stadium.  City took the lead in the 15tth minute through Kevin De Bruyne. Foden received the ball from Zincheko, took a shot from 12 yards, and was parried by McCarthy but De Bruyne was there to finish off into open goal. Minutes later, Soton were awarded a penalty after Vestergaard was brought down by Laporte. Ward-Prowse stepped up and made no mistake, sending the ball through the middle with Ederson going left. In the 40th minute, Mahrez gave City the lead with a cool finish before İlkay Gündoğan netted the third goal just before halftime. In the second half, City were breathing fire, pushing Soton in their own half and Mahrez grabbed his brace. Soton responded immediately through Adams. Bernardo's poor touch allowed Redmond to take over, he gave it to Armstrong in the box with City struggling to get back, and his effort is deflected. But it looped into Adams' path, and he simply tucked it home with Ederson stranded from close range. De Bruyne netted his second of the game to restore City's three-goal lead with beauty. The Belgian had the ball inside the penalty area, he kept his balance well, took a touch, and found the bottom right corner despite McCarthy's best effort. Manchester City have scored 5+ goals in 23 Premier League games since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016-17, doing so in 12 games more than any other side in the competition during this period (Liverpool & Tottenham next on 11 each).