Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed Southampton for creating more chances against them than any other side in the league.
Although the Saints went down 6-1 at the Etihad, Guardiola said he felt the match was not over until the last goal for City went in. The win ensured City returns to the top of the table with a two-point gap and a healthy goal difference.
“We played excellently, without and especially with the ball. We were aggressive in the final third, but we were lucky to score the goal in the last minute of the first half. The game was not over, because we conceded. Southampton created more chances than most teams this season.” Guardiola said.
Southampton boss Mark Hughes, on the other hand, said that they failed to be resolute in dealing with City’s outstanding form. The former manager at City and a former player of City’s arch-rivals Manchester United, Hughes added that the game was lost the moment they quickly went down 3-0.
“We were poor in that opening period, you have to be resolute to keep back an outstanding City team. We were a bit lightweight and didn’t deal with one-on-one situations. Very quickly we found ourselves 3-0 down and the game was gone.” Hughes offered.