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’s 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.
At Old Trafford, Ralf Rangnick’s side were kept at bay until the third minute of stoppage time.
Edinson Cavani crossed for fellow substitute Rashford to score his second goal in successive games.
After a VAR check for offside, the goal was awarded as interim boss Rangnick celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in charge.
It was a crucial victory for United in their fight to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish.
United moved one point above West Ham, knocking David Moyes’ men out of the top four.
“If you score in the last second of the game, that is the best type of win, a clean sheet. I think in the end, we deserved to win,” Rangnick said.
“Bearing in mind we played a few days ago against Brentford, the team looked physically good.” – AFP
