Unable to get a single shot on target until the 90th minute, the Cityzens seemed sluggish for long spells against the Saints.
Manchester City lacked “freshness in their mind”, says Pep Guardiola in an attempt to explain his side’s poor performance against Southampton.
Man City, who recorded a 6-3 victory in their Champions League opener, usually have a lot of goals in them but they were quite ineffective going forward in their Premier League outing on Saturday.
In what was a well below-par performance from them, the defending champions were fortunate to salvage a point at home. The hosts conceded a penalty when Kyle Walker brought down Adam Armstrong in the box, but that decision – as well as the one to send Walker off – was overturned by referee Jon Moss following a VAR intervention.
Raheem Sterling thought he had snatched a late winner for his side, but his goal was ruled out for offside.
“Today we didn’t have the freshness in our mind,” Guardiola told in his post-match press conference. “I wouldn’t say in our legs, in our mind. It is a pity.
“They had four or five chances and didn’t shoot much. We were there and could not be more clinical in the final third.
“It has to happen from behind and behind was not good.”
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