RAHEEM STERLING - he's top of the league. That's what the City fans sing. And if he keeps on getting late winners like this then he'll be staying there for a very long time.
For a third game in a row, the England winger came up with a stunning winner - just when it looked like their winning run was coming to an end. First it was Feyenoord to secure top spot in their Champions League group. Then came a big - if slightly fortunate - settler at Huddersfield. And it won't come much more dramatic than this one. In the sixth minute of injury time, he swapped passes with Kevin de Bruyne before curling a beauty into the far corner. If that was ice cool the celebrations were anything but.
He set off on a mad dash down the pitch to the opposite end - Emmanuel Adebayor style - where he was mobbed by his team-mates. Pep Guardiola got carried away too and seemed to get involved with a couple of Saints players after the whistle, which arrived just seconds later.
Chasing a club record 12th straight Premier League win, City by no means had it all their own way during the opening 45 minutes. Saints - with only four league wins to their name all season - gave the runaway leaders a real test - and could easily have taken an early lead.
A corner was flicked on by Maya Yoshida and Wesley Hoedt's downard header bounced off the turf and rattled the bar. It seemed to spur City into action as they broke away and Raheem Sterling brought a save out of Fraser Forster who also kept out Gabriel Jesus' follow up. The England keeper had to get down well again to tip away Fernandinho's curling effort after nice work by De Bruyne. And from the resulting corner, Nicolas Otamendi couldn't get over the cross and headed over the bar.
Without Leroy Sane and David Silva in their starting line-up, City had taken a while to warm up in the freezing temperatures. But more clever approach play saw the ball worked to Jesus who was again denied by Forster only for Ilkay Gundogan to put the rebound into the side-netting. City should have been in front but Saints must have taken heart that they were still on level terms. And they could even have edged in front themselves as Virgil van Dijk - once on City's radar - nodded down for Yoshida whose effort flew over the bar. It will be a year on Sunday since City last lost a game here at the Etihad - and that record was looking in doubt here.
Saints had frustrated City for the first period - yet the breakthrough came within a minute of the re-start.
De Bruyne curled in a free-kick from the left hand side and both Otamendi and Van Dijk went for it at the near post - but it flew past Forster.
First it was given to the City centre back, then it was an own goal by the Duthcman - and eventually KdB was credited with it.
It had taken just over 80 seconds - and Pellegrino must have been quietly fuming.
From The Sun
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