<a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/premier-league-preview-round-22-duel-of-the-first-with-the-second/" title="<a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/premier-league-manchester-citys-turnover-for-the-first-time-higher-than-manchester-uniteds/" title="Premier League – Manchester City's turnover for the first time higher than Manchester United's”>Premier League – preview Round 22: Duel of the first with the second”>Bernardo Silva was happy after City fought hard to claim a 1-0 victory and three important Premier League points against a determined Southampton.
The Saints were punished after just five minutes by the Premier League’s top scorer, Erling Haalandwho opened the scoring after a good cross from Matheus Nunes.
The visitors could have collapsed after the initial setback, but they remained defensively organized and compact whilst offering a threat on the counter-attack, with Cameron Archer hitting the crossbar late in the first half.
After the break, Haaland had chances to increase the score, with a header saved over the line, another header saved by Aaron Ramsdale and a missed chance with almost no goalkeeper.
The Saints pressed in the final minutes, but the men of Pep Guardiola they resisted to return to the top of the Premier League.
“They press high, they try to build with the ball,” he said Bernardo after the game. “That makes it very difficult to put pressure on them because if you’re man to man in the middle they find the space, so it’s not easy for our defenders and they have fast guys up front.”
“Tough game for us, but very happy with the three points. Now, we are used to that when teams defend deep against us, which makes everything more difficult, we have to be patient. We are used to that.”
“We had our chances to score three or four goals to do that, but they deserve a lot of credit for what they did here today.”
Russell Martin’s team remains winless and is at the bottom of the Premier League table, with just one point from nine matches, but Bernardo highly praised their performance in Manchester.
“We have a lot of respect for all the teams in the Premier League,” he declared. “These guys we played today, I’ve watched some of the games they’ve played this season and I think they deserve a lot more points than they have.”
“A lot of respect for the way they play.”
