Five Things Learned: Manchester City 1-0 Southampton (Premier League) | OneFootball

An early goal from Erling Haaland propelled Manchester City past Southampton for a 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Norwegian’s league-leading 11th goal of the season allowed City to win their fifth straight match of the campaign, as the Sky Blues continue to be the only undefeated side left in the Premier League.

Manchester City grabbed the lead in just the fifth minute when Matheus Nunes lofted a ball into the box from the byline and into the path of Erling Haaland. The Norwegian fought off a Southampton defender to get a foot in the ball and into the net.

Although the Saints trailed early, Russell Martin’s side responded well to the goal and at times out-possessed City in the first half. However, Southampton’s best effort came in the closing moments when Cameron Archer’s shot hit the crossbar.

Manchester City regained the composure after the break and fought off a few Southampton counter-attacks to maintain the 1-0 lead and see out the victory. Following Saturday’s match, City head to London to face Tottenham for a Carabao Cup fourth round clash.

Here are the Five Things We Learned from Manchester City’s match against Southampton!

Phil Foden is starting to show off his creative side

Despite barely featuring for the first two and a half months of the season, Phil Foden is starting to become a regular for City. The 24-year-old created five chances and saw nearly 50 of his 70 touches come in the second half, showcasing his growing ability to control games.

While the finished product isn’t quite there yet, Phil Foden deserved to finish the match with at least an assist or two, particularly if Erling Haaland had done a better job of finishing his chances. More on that later.

Savinho continues to look like a sure-fire success

It’s rare to see an attacker come into Pep Guardiola’s squad an immediately look at home. However, Savinho has done what few have been able to achieve during the Catalan’s era as manager.

The Brazilian winger created five chances, and led the team in ground duels won (7) and successful dribbles (6). The former Girona winger is still only 20, and will likely be a mainstay at Manchester City for years to come.

Ederson has quietly been having an excellent season

After a summer transfer window that had a fair share of drama, and a pre-season schedule that saw Ederson barely able to save a single shot on goal, it appears as though the Brazilian goalkeeper is returning to his 22/23 form.

The life of a Manchester City goalkeeper can be tricky. You often spend large swaths of time off the ball, and are usually only called upon during counterattacks, with little to no defensive help.

At times, his shot-stopping has looked poor. However, Ederson has continued to step up this season and make big saves in key moments this season.

Erling Haaland can (occasionally) be very wasteful

After scoring two in midweek, including one of the most physically impressive goals you will ever see, Erling Haaland had an average performance against Southampton. The Norwegian striker had one goal from an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.3.

Erling Haaland is currently sitting on 11 goals from an xG of 8.8 and is still outperforming his xG, as always. However, something to keep an eye on heading into the busiest section of the season.

Manchester City can still win ugly

Tight victories over Wolves and Southampton show that Manchester City are still able to snatch three points-away from matches that lesser sides would easily dropped. It’s the mark of a championship-winning squad that has broken record after record during Guardiola’s tenure.

It’s still early in the season, but Manchester City have looked stronger during the first third of the season than they have looked in years past.