Manchester City Move into Premier League Top 3 with 3-0 Win over Southampton

Manchester City beat Southampton 3-0 during Saturday's Premier League action to move past Liverpool and into the top three in the standings.

Southampton kept things close in the first half with staunch defence, but Vincent Kompany broke the deadlock from a corner after the break.

Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero added goals of their own as the Citizens cruised to the finish line.

Here's a look at the team sheet for the hosts:

City kept star winger Raheem Sterling on the bench:

The visitors started the match with plenty of possession and attacking intentions, and Aguero fired a first chance wide of the mark just minutes into the half. The Argentinian went close again shortly after, but goalkeeper Fraser Forster was not called into action.

While the Citizens were the better team in the early stages, Saints went very close to taking the lead with their first chance. Dusan Tadic should have done much better after a quick counter, firing a shot well over the bar, per Match of the Day:

All of City's possession led to very little in the first half, as Southampton comfortably defended with numbers. The hosts weren't afraid to get their hands dirty, either, with a handful of serious fouls sending City players to the turf.

Ryan Bertrand's nasty tackle on Aguero was one of the worst of the bunch, and From The Stands thought the forward was lucky not to get seriously injured:

One of the rare chances in the first half fell to Cedric Soares, who had an effort blocked by Fernandinho at the last moment. David Silva also had a good opportunity on goal, but his effort ended up in the side netting.

The most controversial moment of the half came close to the end when Sane went down in the box after contact with Forster. Former England international Gary Lineker thought the non-call was the right decision, even if the studio pundits on BT Sport disagreed:

Forster made an easy save to deny Yaya Toure to start the second half before James Ward-Prowse sent another warning signal City's way, curling a free-kick wide.

Jesus Navas drew a fine save from Forster before Kompany finally broke the deadlock, heading home the resulting corner. Per Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws, it had been some time since the Belgian found the net:

Kompany nearly doubled his tally minutes later when yet another corner fell to the defender. This time, his toe-poke missed the mark.

Silva and Aguero had half-chances to add to the lead, while Southampton barely threatened. When they did, Claudio Bravo's routine save led to plenty of hilarity on social media. Iain Macintosh of ESPN FC joined in on the fun:

City needed a second goal to be safe, and Sane delivered with just over 10 minutes left to play, converting after Kevin De Bruyne squared the ball on the counter. Just three minutes later, Aguero added to the lead, all but ending the contest with a clean header.

Lineker enjoyed the show the Citizens put on in the second half:

After the match, manager Pep Guardiola reserved special praise for Kompany:

City's next outing will be at Arsenal, while Southampton visit Chelsea.