Published : Monday, 24 January, 2022 at 12:00 AM Count : 791
LONDON, JAN 23: Aymeric Laporte spared Manchester City's blushes as the Premier League leaders were held to a 1-1 draw at Southampton, while Manchester United moved into fourth place after Marcus Rashford's last-gasp goal sealed a 1-0 win against West Ham on Saturday. City were rocked by Kyle Walker-Peters' first ever top-flight goal in the opening minutes. After a poor first half by their high standards, Pep Guardiola's side kicked into gear after the break. Spain defender Laporte headed the equaliser, but City could not extend their winning streak in a one-sided finale that saw the visitors lay seige to the Southampton goal. The champions had to settle for a result that left them 12 points clear of second-placed Liverpool, who have two games in hand and face Crystal Palace on Sunday.
For the first time since they were beaten 2-0 by Palace on October 30, City finished a league game without all three points. "Why should we lose belief in what we have done? It was a good performance. We are going to drop points, but the way we behave is very good," Guardiola said. "People will say the Premier League race is not over, but that is good for this side." -AFP