Manchester City got their Premier League title challenge back on track with a win over Southampton.
Raheem Sterling crossed for Kevin de Bruyne to slot the hosts ahead before City midfielder Fernandinho's header appeared to strike Steven Davis' arm.
Fabian Delph added the home side's second with a deflected shot but Shane Long nodded in to give Saints hope.
Long had a penalty appeal turned down before Aleksandar Kolarov fired in City's third with an angled strike.
Fernandinho appeared to block Long's shot with his arm after City keeper Willy Caballero had palmed away an effort from Dusan Tadic.
City, whose earlier shout for a spot-kick was equally as strong, took advantage by restoring their two-goal lead as they bounced back after defeats by Liverpool in the Premier League and Juventus in the Champions League.
City learn Liverpool lessons
Man City response pleases Pellegrini
City struggled to cope with the high-pressing tactics of Liverpool when they were beaten 4-1 by the Reds last weekend but the boot was on the other foot against Southampton.
The hosts raced out of the blocks and Saints struggled to cope with the way City closed them down with an intensity and urgency.
Sterling dispossessed Maya Yoshida on the way to setting up the home side's opener, while Southampton were also their own worst enemy by giving the ball away on a regular basis.
"We started very strong, especially in the first 25 minutes," said City boss Manuel Pellegrini. "I was very pleased with the team's reaction.
"We were a little nervous until the third goal, but I'm happy with the performance and the result."
City's average positions just after the half hour mark show how high up they were pressing a Southampton side who were penned back
The boy's a bit special
A lot of eyebrows were raised when Manchester City paid £55m for De Bruyne but the midfielder is proving well worth the money so far this season.
He has scored seven goals for City and he continued to make a telling impact in this win over Southampton.
The Belgium international had a tap-in to score City's opener before it was his corner which led to Delph's goal, which wrong-footed Saints keeper Maarten Stekelenburg after a deflection off Virgil van Dijk.
De Bruyne also showed great composure when he delayed a cross to pick out an unmarked Kolarov at the far post for the third goal.
I thought Southampton were good away from home?
Southampton went into the game aiming to equal their top-flight club record of seven successive away matches without defeat.
Their previous loss on their travels was in the corresponding fixture on the final day of last season but, while they gave City a scare, they failed to recover from a slow start.
The visitors, who had seen a Van Dijk shot come back off the crossbar in the first half, improved after the break and they might have salvaged something from the game had Tadic's attempted chip beaten Caballero with the score at 2-1.
"At least in the second half we played good football," said Saints boss Ronald Koeman. "We had a big chance through Tadic to make it 2-2. These are key moments to get something out of the game."
Man of the match
Kevin de Bruyne has scored or assisted nine goals in six Premier League appearances for Man City at the Etihad (three goals, six assists)
What they said:
Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph: "It was a very important game. We needed to bounce back. It was about giving the reaction to the manager. We did that today, and we'll go home happy.
"It was very sweet to get my first goal, and I hope things can keep pushing on."
Southampton lacked focus - Koeman
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman: "We had a bad start. If you make those kind of mistakes against City you lose the game.
"We made them strong because we lost so many balls when building up from the back."
The stats you need to know
- Since the start of last season, Kevin de Bruyne has made more assists than any other player in Europe's top five leagues (26).
- Raheem Sterling has had a hand in five goals in his past four Premier League matches against Southampton (three goals, two assists).
- Fabian Delph scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester City in his fifth appearance.
- Shane Long has netted three goals in his last five Premier League starts for Southampton.
What next?
Manchester City are at home to Hull City in the League Cup quarter-final on Tuesday, while Southampton also play in the last eight of the same competition on Wednesday when they host Liverpool.
Lineup, Bookings (3) & Substitutions (6)
Manchester City
- 13 Caballero
- 03 Sagna
- 26 Demichelis Booked
- 30 Otamendi
- 11 Kolarov Booked
- 25 Fernandinho
- 18 Delph (Fernando - 70' )
- 17 De Bruyne
- 42 Y Touré
- 07 Sterling (Silva - 75' )
- 10 Agüero (Bony - 64' )
Substitutes
- 06 Fernando
- 14 Bony
- 15 Jesús Navas
- 21 Silva
- 22 Clichy
- 29 Wright
- 72 Iheanacho
Southampton
- 22 Stekelenburg
- 03 Yoshida
- 06 Fonte (Caulker - 36' )
- 17 van Dijk
- 21 Bertrand
- 12 Wanyama
- 14 Romeu (Tadic - 45' )
- 10 Mané
- 16 Ward-Prowse Booked (Juanmi - 77' )
- 08 Davis
- 07 Long
Substitutes
- 01 Davis
- 04 Clasie
- 11 Tadic
- 15 Martina
- 20 Juanmi
- 23 Ramírez
- 26 Caulker
Match Stats
Live Text Commentary
Full Time Match ends, Manchester City 3, Southampton 1.
90:00 +3:16 Full timeFull Time Second Half ends, Manchester City 3, Southampton 1.
90:00 +3:02Attempt saved. Sadio Mané (Southampton) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Dusan Tadic.
90:00 +1:23Offside, Southampton. Shane Long tries a through ball, but Dusan Tadic is caught offside.
90:00 +0:18 BookingBooking Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.
90:00 +0:11Sadio Mané (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90:00 +0:11Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
89:11Offside, Southampton. Dusan Tadic tries a through ball, but Victor Wanyama is caught offside.
88:46Victor Wanyama (Southampton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
88:46Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
87:57Offside, Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne tries a through ball, but Wilfried Bony is caught offside.
86:21Sadio Mané (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
86:21Foul by Fernando (Manchester City).
85:38Shane Long (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
85:38Foul by Martín Demichelis (Manchester City).
82:32Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Willy Caballero.
82:30Attempt saved. Sadio Mané (Southampton) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Dusan Tadic.
80:15Sadio Mané (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
80:15Foul by Fernando (Manchester City).
80:05Attempt blocked. Yaya Touré (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Steven Davis (Southampton).
79:02Yaya Touré (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
77:32Sadio Mané (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
77:32Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
76:40 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Southampton. Juanmi replaces James Ward-Prowse.
76:03Offside, Southampton. Shane Long tries a through ball, but Sadio Mané is caught offside.
74:46 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Manchester City. David Silva replaces Raheem Sterling.
71:21Foul by Shane Long (Southampton).
71:21Yaya Touré (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
69:57 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Manchester City. Fernando replaces Fabian Delph.
68:58 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Manchester City 3, Southampton 1. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne.
66:30Offside, Southampton. Dusan Tadic tries a through ball, but Steven Davis is caught offside.
66:01Attempt saved. Dusan Tadic (Southampton) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse.
65:39Attempt saved. Yaya Touré (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
63:37 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Manchester City. Wilfried Bony replaces Sergio Agüero.
62:58Offside, Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne tries a through ball, but Sergio Agüero is caught offside.
62:23Foul by Virgil van Dijk (Southampton).
62:23Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
61:13Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Fernandinho.
61:11Attempt blocked. Shane Long (Southampton) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
61:09Attempt saved. Dusan Tadic (Southampton) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse.
60:31Attempt saved. Yaya Touré (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Aleksandar Kolarov.
59:41Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Steven Caulker.
57:30Foul by Sadio Mané (Southampton).
57:30Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
55:45 BookingBooking Martín Demichelis (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
55:42Shane Long (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
55:42Foul by Martín Demichelis (Manchester City).
54:44 BookingBooking James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
54:39Foul by James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
54:39Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
53:49Offside, Southampton. Steven Davis tries a through ball, but Shane Long is caught offside.
52:31Hand ball by Sadio Mané (Southampton).
51:25Sadio Mané (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
51:25Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
50:44Hand ball by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
50:39Attempt blocked. Fabian Delph (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Yaya Touré.
48:54 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Manchester City 2, Southampton 1. Shane Long (Southampton) header from the left side of the six yard box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Sadio Mané with a cross following a set piece situation.
48:17Steven Davis (Southampton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
48:17Foul by Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City).
45:00Second Half begins Manchester City 2, Southampton 0.
45:00 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Southampton. Dusan Tadic replaces Oriol Romeu.
45:00 +3:42 Half timeHalf Time First Half ends, Manchester City 2, Southampton 0.
45:00 +2:46Delay over. They are ready to continue.
45:00 +1:02Delay in match Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) because of an injury.
45:00 +1:02Delay in match Bacary Sagna (Manchester City) because of an injury.
40:43Offside, Southampton. Victor Wanyama tries a through ball, but Sadio Mané is caught offside.
40:41Attempt blocked. Victor Wanyama (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse.
40:30Attempt saved. Shane Long (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse.
38:57Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Nicolás Otamendi.
37:47Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Yaya Touré.
35:38 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Southampton. Steven Caulker replaces Jose Fonte because of an injury.
34:03Attempt missed. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne with a cross.
31:39Delay over. They are ready to continue.
30:23Delay in match Shane Long (Southampton) because of an injury.
28:55Attempt missed. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick.
27:45Foul by Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City).
27:45Sadio Mané (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
26:16Attempt saved. Victor Wanyama (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
26:15Attempt saved. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) header from very close range is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse with a cross.
25:30Foul by Bacary Sagna (Manchester City).
25:30Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing.
23:12Fernandinho (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
23:12Foul by Victor Wanyama (Southampton).
21:30Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Ryan Bertrand.
19:33 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Manchester City 2, Southampton 0. Fabian Delph (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne following a corner.
19:09Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Steven Davis.
19:04Attempt blocked. Fernandinho (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne with a cross.
18:34Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Jose Fonte.
18:32Attempt blocked. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is blocked. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne.
17:41Foul by Fabian Delph (Manchester City).
17:41Steven Davis (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
15:00Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Victor Wanyama.
14:58Attempt blocked. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
13:53Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
13:53Foul by Oriol Romeu (Southampton).
12:47Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
12:44Attempt blocked. Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Aleksandar Kolarov with a cross.
12:15Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
12:12Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Fabian Delph.
9:54Fernandinho (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
9:54Foul by Shane Long (Southampton).
8:13 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Manchester City 1, Southampton 0. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Raheem Sterling.
5:12Foul by Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City).
5:12Maarten Stekelenburg (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
5:08Attempt saved. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
4:04Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
4:04Foul by Victor Wanyama (Southampton).
3:53Yaya Touré (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
3:53Foul by Shane Long (Southampton).
3:02Attempt blocked. Fernandinho (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Bacary Sagna.
0:52Attempt saved. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Yaya Touré with a through ball.
0:00First Half begins.
0:00Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
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