Southampton were put to the sword by Manchester City on Sunday afternoon at St Mary’s Stadium as the visitors came away with a 3-1 win.
Ralph Hasenhuttl named a much-changed starting line-up following the team’s midweek defeat to West Ham, with 18-year-old Kayne Ramsay coming in for his senior debut.
City, meanwhile, fielded a strong team as they aimed to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat against Leicester City on Boxing Day.
It did not take long for Pep Guardiola’s side to cut through the Saints and open the scoring, as David Silva tucked the ball beyond Alex McCarthy shortly after Charlie Austin spurned a golden opportunity at the other end.
The Saints equalised in the first half, however, as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg lashed the ball home after some intelligent pressing.
Southampton’s lead did not last long, though. James Ward-Prowse deflected Raheem Sterling’s cross past McCarthy at his near post. Sergio Aguero proceeded to kill the game off before half-time with a free header.
A flat second half had a disastrous ending for Hasenhuttl’s side as they were reduced to 10 men. Hojbjerg, for the second time this season, was given his marching orders late on after a reckless tackle.
It was a bad day at the office for Southampton. Here are our player ratings.
