Southampton 1-4 Manchester City: Player ratings as second half rout sees Cityzens in semis | FA Cup 2021-22
Manchester City breezed past into the FA Cup semi-finals with an astonishing 4-1 victory over Southampton at the St. Mary's Stadium on Sunday. City are now set to face Premier League rivals Liverpool in a enticing semi-final clash in the FA Cup.
Raheem Sterling gave Manchester City an early lead thanks to a defensive mix-up within the Southampton backline. However, their lead was canceled out right before half-time as Aymeric Laporte deflected the ball into his own net.
Shortly after the hour mark, Manchester City were awarded a penalty as Salisu fouled Gabriel Jesus inside his own 18-yard box. Kevin de Bruyne made no mistake from the resulting penalty.
Substitutes Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez were introduced shortly afterwards and both scored a goal each to put the game well beyond the Saints' reach.
Foden's strike, in particular, was a gorgeous volley fired home from just outside the box. Mahrez capped off a commanding victory with a clinical finish of his own.
1-4 
#ManCity
FULL TIME | We're off to Wembley in the #FACup! 🙌
🔴 1-4 🔵 #ManCity https://t.co/6c2Qk0eU8L
On that note, here's a look at the Manchester City player's ratings from the game.
Zack Steffen - 6/10
Steffen enjoyed a decent outing between the posts, making a couple of key saves to keep Southampton from taking the lead numerous times. However, he was partly at fault for Laporte's own goal.
Kyle Walker - 6/10
Walker made the most use of his pace while defending as he constantly outpaced the Southampton attackers down Manchester City's right flank. He kept the Southampton attackers at bay throughout, winning all four of his ground duels in the process.
John Stones - 7/10
Stones was composed on the ball and colossal off it. He was vocal in organizing his defense and showcased some excellent buildup plays throughout the game.
Aymeric Laporte - 6/10
Apart from his unfortunate own goal late in the first half, Laporte looked good with the ball at his feet. He also helped City progress the ball out from the back. He was calm and composed in the defensive phase as well.
Joao Cancelo - 7/10
Cancelo was brilliant in attack. He picked up a couple of decent passes and was a constant threat down Southampton's right side but looked a bit shaky in defense.
Rodri - 6/10
Forced to defend a lot more than usual due to Southampton's energetic pressing, Rodri looked rather unsettled at times.
Kevin de Bruyne - 8/10
King Kev! 👑
🔴 1-2 🔵 #ManCity https://t.co/ttGvNyIt8N
De Bruyne caused all sorts of problems for the Saints' backline. He was a stark source of creativity for his side, supplying three key passes in total. He also kept his calm to score a crucial spot kick when the score was still level.
Iikay Gundogan - 7/10
Gundogan put in a diligent performance for Manchester City. He was tidy and efficient with his passing and showcased an adept reading of the game throughout. He eventually supplied the assist for Mahrez's goal.
Gabriel Jesus - 7/10
Jesus was astute with his linkup play throughout the game. The Brazilian attacker turned provider for City's first goal of the game and also won the penalty for the all-important second.
Jack Grealish - 6.5/10
Grealish looked to create an opening throughout his time on the pitch. However, he often looked a little too invested in that role, passing up good shooting opportunities on numerous occasions.
Raheem Sterling - 7/10
Sterling was a constant threat to the Southampton defense. He was lively throughout, trying to create openings with his runs in-behind. Scored a well-deserved goal to open the scoring for Manchester City.
Substitutes:
CITY SUBS | @PhilFoden and @Mahrez22 replace @JackGrealish and @gabrieljesus9 🔄
🔴 1-2 🔵 #ManCity https://t.co/X4WppMYSXX
Riyad Mahrez - 7/10
Mahrez joined in on the action as a 63rd minute substitute for Jesus. He nearly hit the corner flag with a wayward volley but eventually made up for it with a clinical finish for Manchester City's fourth goal of the evening.
Phil Foden - 7/10
Foden came on as a 64th minute substitute for Grealish. The 21-year-old forward made an instant impact with a beautiful volleyed goal from outside the box.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - N/A
Zinchenko came on as an 82nd-minute substitute to replace Cancelo, but he didn't play long enough to warrant a rating.
Fernandinho - N/A
Coming on as a 83rd minute substitute, Fernandinho didn't play long enough to be rated.
Nathan Ake - N/A
Like Fernandinho and Zinchenko, Ake was also a late substitute and he didn't play long enough to warrant a rating.