Fraser Forster was oddly under-worked over the 90 minutes at the Etihad Stadium as City’s star-studded strike force failed to click into gear once more.
Southampton manager Claude Puel has told the club’s official website that his side were able to defend without difficulties as they secured a well-deserved point away at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s City are now without a win in five games in all competitions after John Stones’ misplaced backpass gifted the opener to Nathan Redmond in the first-half before Kelechi Iheanacho finished sharply moments after coming off the bench at the interval.
City attempted to up the pressure late on bu, despite the presence of Iheanacho, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, they failed to force Fraser Forster into anything other than a standard save.
And Puel believes his side remained comfortable against their expensively assembled hosts.
“We take a good opportunity in the first-half to score and afterwards we defend without difficulties in the first-half,” the former Nice manager told the club’s official website.
“It was important to keep good organisation and in the second-half it was difficult of course because the result of the game was important to this team.
“They had two days more recovery and we had to keep a good organisation as well as playing good on the counter attack with good transition.
“We had possibilities to score another goal but it’s a good point for us.”
The energy and tenacity of Oriol Romeu and Steven Davis in midfield pushed City’s dangermen, David Silva in particular, to the periphery for the majority of the encounter at the Etihad as Southampton secured yet another impressive result in what is already shaping up to be another season of valiant over-achievement.
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