Southampton and Man City’s players struggled for ball possession

Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League with a narrow victory over Southampton, thanks to an early goal from Erling Haaland.

In just the fifth minute, Haaland muscled past Jan Bednarek to slot in a cross from Matheus Nunes, marking his 11th league goal of the season and putting the visitors in the lead.

Despite a promising start, City couldn’t widen the gap, as Southampton's resilient defense and a few missed opportunities—some from Haaland himself—kept the scoreline close until the end.

The win extended City’s unbeaten league streak to 32 games, bringing them within weeks of a full year without defeat, their last loss coming against Aston Villa on December 6.

Southampton, still struggling near the bottom of the table with only one point, put up a fight. Although manager Russell Martin can take some comfort in their previous ability to avoid relegation after a winless streak in 1998-99, he now faces pressure to turn the team’s form around and secure their place in the top flight.

Kindly like, share and leave your comments.