Man City See off Southampton to Finish Season in Style, Set Up Huge Summer

When Manchester City lost 4-2 to their nearest rivals, Manchester United, back in April, their season was on the verge of implosion.

On a run of eight defeats in 15 matches, their manager, Manuel Pellegrini, was under intense pressure, with their top-four credentials questioned. It was an unthinkable situation for a side who began the season as champions and had strengthened still further during the close season.

But six straight wins, including a 2-0 win at home to Southampton on the final day, have seen them finish their league campaign strongly. It doesn’t mask City’s failure to win silverware this season, but it has lifted some of the gloom that had descended on the club and Pellegrini just a few weeks ago.

And so begins a summer of rebuilding. City’s squad needs an injection of pace, and Pellegrini must work alongside sporting director Txiki Begiristain to bring some hunger and urgency to a side that has looked lethargic and uninspired for large portions of the campaign. Every summer is important. But for City this one feels particularly vital.

Frank Lampard opened the scoring against Southampton on what was his last-ever match in English football, bringing the curtain down on one of the most glittering careers in the Premier League era.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, as well as Champions League and Europa League titles while at Chelsea mean he will always be synonymous with the Stamford Bridge club, but he’s made a big impression during his one season with the City and received a genuinely touching send-off by the club and fans after the game.

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Good luck at @NYCFC Frank, and thank you! #mcfc #together pic.twitter.com/IyhfAxwdAm

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) May 24, 2015"

Yaya Toure, another who has been linked with a move away in the summer, was withdrawn just after the hour mark to a standing ovation. The City fans made their feelings clear: Toure is a club legend, a player whose importance to City since his arrival in 2010 can barely be quantified.

He’s raised City’s global profile, helped attract other big-name signings and scored a series of vitally important goals. For a club desperate for success, which City were immediately after the club’s takeover in 2008, they could hardly have signed a better player to have kick-started it.

Whether he will leave remains a mystery. His agent, Dimitri Seluk, told Sky Sports recently he was “90 per cent certain” his client would start next season elsewhere, but Pellegrini will be desperate to keep him. It certainly didn’t look like a farewell when he left the field during this match.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

And, after scoring his obligatory goal in the closing stages to complete the scoring, Sergio Aguero finished the season as the Premier League’s top scorer with 26, further underlining his credentials as arguably the finest striker in European football.

Injuries have, once again, unsettled him, but he’s made 10 more league appearances this season than he managed during the last campaign, and credit must go to Pellegrini for the way he cautiously used him at the start of the season after his World Cup involvement.

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.@aguerosergiokun shows off his newest item of footwear... #mcfc pic.twitter.com/w4W8aCkxEu

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) May 24, 2015"

The win over Southampton also saw Joe Hart post his 14th clean sheet of the season and become the winner of the Golden Gloves award for the fourth time in five years. Given his poor form during the early stages of last season, it caps a remarkable turnaround for the England No. 1, who has re-established himself as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers.

Afterwards, Pellegrini said he believes Aguero is improving as a player, and he reserved special praise for Lampard.

“It is difficult [for me] to be impressed with Sergio,” he said. “I work with him every day and know what a player he is. It is very important for him to win the Golden Boot for the first time in his career.

“I am sure we will see the next years of Kun as a better player. He has chances to continue improving. He is improving in the way he understands what football is.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

“His contribution in our team is impossible to compare with another player.

“It was very important to finish the season in front of our fans winning the game, and it was also important for Frank. I think he deserves the farewell all our fans give him.

“Very important also for him to score. I think it was the perfect goodbye for him. He deserves it for his brilliant career and a great person.”

As the club now embark on a post-season tour of Canada and the U.S., Pellegrini will be plotting for next season having surely ensured he will see out the final year of his contract. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.