Erling Haaland's early goal helped Manchester City secure a narrow 1-0 win over Southampton at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola's side had a few more chances to extend their lead, but Southampton found their rhythm as the match went on. The game was tense, but it eventually came to an end. Manchester City will be looking to keep their lead ahead of Liverpool's match against Arsenal on Sunday.

Erling Haaland scored the only goal as Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League table and continued their unbeaten league run at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola made four changes to the Champions League squad that beat Slavia Prague 5-0 in midweek. Mateus Nunez made his first Premier League start of the season, and Phil Foden made his second.

Just five minutes in, Nunez's cross found Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who poked the ball into Aaron Ramsdale's net after beating Jan Bednarek to give City the lead.

As the game went on, though, Manchester City didn't really threaten the goal, and Southampton tried to equalize. Given the gap in strength, scoring may be a pipe dream. The game ended with Haaland missing a few good chances and the atmosphere being a bit flat.

So, Southampton, managed by Russell Martin, have fallen to the bottom of the Premier League standings by one point after Wolves drew with Brighton. In a match that many thought Southampton would lose badly, Adam Lallana's return was a big plus for the visiting team. It's not realistic to expect the 36-year-old former England midfielder to play in every game. But on days like this, his experience is priceless. As it turns out, this has been proven to be true.

Manchester City can take a bit of a break from the intense Premier League competition for now. Given Manchester City's long injury list, head coach Pep Guardiola will be pleased with this victory, which means his team can watch the game between Arsenal and Liverpool from a more favorable ranking position. The intense match between the two teams is exactly what Manchester City is hoping to see.

Next up for Manchester City is a trip to Tottenham Hotspur, where they'll be looking to make it through to the Premier League Cup quarter-finals. After that, they'll be back home to take on Bournemouth in the league. Southampton will play Championship side Stoke City in the Premier League Cup before hosting Everton in the league.