Southampton drew 1-1 with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Southampton forward Nathan Redmond has told the club’s official website that he knew there would be opportunities for the Saints to score against Manchester City because of their style of defending.
The former Norwich City man gave Claude Puel’s side the lead when he latched on to a misplaced pass by John Stones before rounding goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and tucking the ball into the empty net.
Pep Guardiola’s side have struggled defensively of late, and Redmond knew this would play into Southampton’s hands.
“From watching their games in preparation for the match we knew they would give us chances, because they only play with three at the back,” Redmond told southamptonfc.com.
“As soon as I saw the opportunity I anticipated it and then I had to keep a cool head, which I’ve been working on since I came to the club.”
Redmond did brilliantly to anticipate the mistake by Stones, with Manchester City’s willingness to play out from the back as per Guardiola’s instructions being the undoing of them yet again.
The Saints were not able to hold on for victory however, with Kelechi Iheanacho coming off the bench to grab an equaliser for the blue side of Manchester.
Redmond’s ability to read the game is improving since his move to the south coast, with the forward now getting in better positions and inevitably scoring more goals, which had been a problem during the earlier years of his career. Still young at just 22, Redmond could be a future England star if he continues this rise.
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