Aymeric Laporte avoids redness for Manchester City against Southampton | Premier League

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He must have felt a little strange in full-time for Manchester City, as he left the field for the first time without a full points completion in a Premier League game for the first time since October.

They failed to extend their winning streak to 13 games but avoided defeat after Aymeric Laporte scored the equalizer in the second half to open 12 points over second-placed Liverpool.

Southampton faded and survived two VAR calls, the first for a potential penalty kick when Kevin De Bruyne ran towards the area and the second for a red card on Stuart Armstrong. Both seemed reasonable calls and the Saints were worthy to take something from a vital encounter in their endeavours.

Pep Guardiola is seen as a wizard by many, but here it was almost all about predicting the future. Before kick-off, sticking to a familiar script, insisting his team are not impregnable and that they will drop points, he reiterates that the most important thing to him is how City react when they find themselves in a troublesome place.

Instead, seven minutes later, while City were in charge of the match, they were trailed by a Southampton side who seemed bent on halting their winning streak that had seen City win 12 of their previous matches. Total score 34-7. It was a great goal, too. Kyle Walker-Peters sprinted forward from right-back and played a superb duo with Nathan Redmond, controlling the return pass with his left foot before, with his next touch, hitting the ball into the far corner with the outside of his right shoe.

Kyle Walker Peters beat Ederson with a superb shot to give Southampton the lead. Photo: Matt Watson/Southampton FC/Getty Images

The upsetting thing for Guardiola, who at one point found comfort squatting on the edge of his technical zone in a puffy black coat and brogue, was that City missed an opportunity seconds ago. City briefly converted the ball from left to right but Raheem Sterling missed the key pass after Kyle Walker spied on the overlap.

Sterling was guilty of missing out on a good opportunity as well, bursting after a cut inside Che Adams but Southampton was thanked by Fraser Forster for preventing City from equalizing. Phil Foden sent in a thrilling cross from the left, which Romain Peraud failed to clear, and as it looked like Sterling would score – Southampton fans at Chapel Stand behind the goal sighed in unison as the ball found its way into the goal. Afternoon – a sprawling forester saved by both legs.

Guardiola was able to put on a wry smile as he headed towards the tunnel in the first half and the result could have been worse had Armando Broja been in the lead when captain Oriol Romeo, whose first appearance for Barcelona was played by Guardiola, the striker in goal. wondrous through the ball in 23 minutes. Brugga snuck behind Walker but lost his way in the shadow sneak.

The home backing was on their feet again five minutes later in anticipation of a penalty when the referee, Simon Hooper, put his whistle in his mouth after Ederson tackled Bruga as the striker scrambled for Adams’ pass into the penalty area, only to award City. Free kick for offside.

Southampton had no desire to stay ahead and within two minutes of the second half Ederson had a Jan Bednarek header from James Ward-Prowse’s corner kick to safety.

City were pressing the ball, with Jack Grealish, working the middle false nine, but the home side, not for the first time, came close to doubling their advantage before City began slicing their opponents. Another corner of Ward-Prowse caused chaos in the City area and Broja nodded against a pillar from an outside plaza. Guardiola saw enough and called Gabriel Jesus, who replaced Sterling.

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Earlier, Rodri curled a ball on the roof of the Southampton goal and Foden saw a powerful shot that Forster saved as City tried to drive through the gears.

Then came the equalizer, which changed its momentum in favor of City. De Bruyne fired a free kick towards the back post, a scattering of dark blue jerseys and Laporte’s power header. Guardiola clenched his fists and hugged his assistant Juanma Lillo.

From there, City refused to return the ball to Southampton and the guests rushed forward. De Bruyne could only bite his lip in frustration after a neat shot against the woodwork and Guardiola had his hands on his head when Jesus hit the post with his header in goal.

City didn’t go quietly but Southampton held on through six minutes of second-half stoppage time.

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