MAN CITY EDS 4, SOUTHAMPTON U23 2
- Southampton include experienced players Charlie Austin and Matt Targett
- Nathan Tella and Sam McQueen put the visitors 2-0 up in the 47th minute
- Sadou Diallo, Rodney Kongolo, Charlie Oliver and a penalty by Lukas Nmecha wrap up victory for Manchester City EDS with six minutes to spare
- Nathan Tella sent off for second booking as Saints frustration boils over
Manchester City’s EDS team brought the curtain down on their 2016/17 season with a rousing comeback to win 4-2 after trailing 2-0 in the 47th minute.
The experienced visitors were well on top after goals by Nathan Tella and Sam McQueen put them 2-0 up shortly after the break but City hit back with a four second half goals with the final three in the space of five minutes towards the end.
Goals by Sadou Diallo, Rodney Kongolo, Charlie Oliver and a penalty by Lukas Nmecha sealed victory as a frustrated Southampton finished with ten men after Tella was sent for for a second booking in the space for five minutes right at the end.
Southampton included two first teamers Matt Targett and Charlie Austin in their team after long term injuries and included Sam McQueen who had first team experience.
The difference in forward play by Southampton was telling as Austin expertly held up the ball and moved into striking positions to trouble the City defence as his team fed in crosses at regular intervals.
The Saints had much of the ball in the early stages, with Austin proving a menace up front but their best early chances came in the 16th minute when Charlie Oliver’s poor clearance was almost punished by a Southampton shot which rippled the side netting.
Nathan Tella forced Daniel Grimshaw into the first real save of the game after his shot from Jeremy Pied’s cross was collected by the City keeper.
Tella couldn’t get any power on a header from six yards out after a cross from the right three minutes later.
City were under pressure and crosses into the box were proving an issue as Pied won a corner with another searching cross.
And Charlie Austin had a great chance to score when Callum Slattery dispossessed Brahim Diaz and crossed for the big striker but he couldn’t get enough force on the ball to test Grimshaw.
City may have been shaken by the Saints’ physical approach but they were undone by finesse when the dangerous Tella skipped past three City defenders and his shot from the edge of the area beat Grimshaw shortly before half time.
Sam McQueen doubled Southamton’s lead shortly after the restart when he turned and smashed in the loose ball from Harry Reed’s corner with City caught ball watching.
And Saints were at it again in the 54th minute when Reed’s corner reached Charlie Austin but the move was stopped for a foul in the area.
Tella’s shot flashed across goal too as the visitors underlined their superiority until the sun set behind the Etihad across the road.
Manchester City stage stunning comeback to beat Southampton U23 after the sun goes down
City’s main outlet was Brahim Diaz in conjunction with Javairo Dilrosun down the left flank but they had offered little going forward until midway through the second half after the sun had gone down behind the Etihad across the road.
With the sun down, Dilrosun raced down the right flank, tried to go past McQueen but was blocked, however he recovered the loose ball and cut it back to Sadou Diallo who sidefooted it past Mouez Hassen in the 65th minute.
And half time substitute Lukas Nmecha could have levelled it a minute later when put clean through but the forward’s ball curled away from the far post after he has beaten the last man.
Austin spurned a chance to score for Saints before he was withdrawn, and City were glad to see the back of him.
Rodney Kongolo scored the equaliser in the 76th minute after another deft move as City played through the Southampton defence.
And Dilrosun had a cross blocked before providing what he thought was a winning assist for Diaz who was denied by a goal line clearance.
The heat was on for the visitors and they couldn’t stand the City resurgence and Charlie Oliver put City into the lead for the first time with 10 minutes to go.
And a minute later Lukas Nmecha was felled by Florin Gardos, with the youngster dusting himself off to drill home the penalty to make it 4-2.
Dilrosun’s 84th minute drive from 25 yards would have put a gloss on the scoreline but Hassen tipped it away.
Southampton’s frustration was underlined by a late booking for Tella for bringing Dilrosun down and Saints winger was given his marching orders in the last minute for a second booking on Diallo to sum up their night in a nutshell.