Manchester City have averted a red card for Kyle Walker and a penalty against them during their Saturday game against Southampton. Manchester City breathe a sigh of relief after Kyle Walker’s intervention in the box is decided as a no foul after a video assistant referee, VAR check, and no foul decision. Kyle Walker dangerously intercepted Southampton’s Adam Armstrong, bringing him down. As it stands, Kevin De Bruyne has come on to substitute Fernandinho, shortly followed by Mahrez who has come on in the place of Gabriel Jesus. Manchester City have struggled on this game, with the game at 0-0 in the 67th minute.
An Energy-Deficient Manchester City
Manchester City are having a long energy-deficient match after being held to a 0-0 draw with Southampton more than an hour into the game. The manager, Pep Guardiola is visibly disappointed by the direction the game is taking and has made a good number of changes after the half-time break. Kyle Walker’s near foul and consequent possible penalty has meant that Manchester City can breathe a sigh of relief in what is already a difficult game for them. Kyle Walker intercepted Armstrong getting his foot before Armstrong, blocking him from moving on with the ball, and bringing him down. Walker ended up on top of Armstrong, but a VAR check concluded that it was not a foul as he did not touch the ball. Despite the close call, Walker remains a strong point in City’s defense. He synchronizes so well with the rest of the team, including players such as Phil Foden.
Credit to Southampton
Southampton have shown good quality, with players like Livramento showing a lot of courage and determination in trying to get the ball forward and penetrate Manchester City’s defense. In striking, Man City’s Gundogan and Jack Grealish have shown such quality and determination in trying to get the ball past Southampton’s surprisingly good defense. Southampton’s goalkeeper, Alex McCarthy has been surprisingly not busy in this game even as it is Raheem Sterling’s 200th game at City. Sterling has scored 7 goals in the last 11 matches that Manchester City has played against Southampton. Even worse, Man City have not had a shot on target by the 80th minute of the game now. It gives credit to Southampton and shows how well they have played in this game.
Manchester City 0-0 Southampton
The game has ended in stoppage time with a score of Manchester City 0-0 Southampton. Both teams will now have to be content with 1 point each with City disappointed for a home draw at Etihad Stadium. This comes after a VAR-denied goal by Raheem Sterling due to being offside. The game has been heavily disappointing for Manchester City and quite impressive for Southampton. Man City showed a lot of lethargy with the game ending as it started at 0-0. Manchester City’s players were likely exhausted after UEFA Champions League action midweek.
