A small reminder of that sacred day...
It appeared that luck may go against us as magician David Silva had a dismal penalty saved by Kelvin Davis, after a superb Samir Nasri played a flick into Tevez who expertly turned the defender, resulting in a penalty kick.
A much deserved win reminiscent of the 13th of May and an unfortunate loss for a stubborn Southampton side.
BY ARCHIE BARNETT
The start of the season was eagerly anticipated by all fans of Manchester City, a day that would mark the start of City's defence of the premier league title.
Kick off couldn't come soon enough, as the ground slowly filled and the atmosphere grew, and at 4 o'clock the Argentine duo of Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero began City's Premier League campaign.
Many Blues couldn't wait to see the mouth watering proposition of the Argentine's in action, however the partnership was short with Aguero having to be taken off the pitch via stretcher in the opening quarter of the game.
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| Carlos Tevez grabs the opener Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe |
Southampton defended stubbornly and had men behind the ball, however the Citizens were to make the break through five minutes before the break. A tantalising ball by the ever present Nasri freed an energetic Tevez who placed the ball in the sprawling goalkeepers near post.
City started the second half brightly, with Dzeko and Clichy missing brilliant chances before Silva hit a strike against the bar after a nice touch down from Nasri, leaving fans wondering how the score remained at just 1-0 to the home side.
The Blues were then punished for their wastefulness when last years Championship top scorer Rickie Lambert came off the bench to grab an unexpected equaliser for the Premier League newcomers.
Only eight minutes later, another substitute came off the bench to score for the Saints. This time it was Davis who grabbed a goal, putting the visitors 2-1 up away from home, leaving City fans with their faces in their hands.
The introduction of Mario Balotelli seemed to change things, making the team appear more energetic. And sure enough, four minutes after Davis fired Southampton into the lead, Edin Dzeko was celebrating an equaliser to make it 2-2.
A sensational Samir Nasri then fired in a strike from 10 yards out eight minutes later, grabbing a much deserved goal. Memories of that day in May started flooding back into many Manchester City and United fans minds, as City marked their first Premier League victory in a similar style to how they won the trophy last season.
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| Eid Mubarak, Samir. Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe |
Accurate report Archie. I think we were good value for our win today. Southampton fans were loud so get credit for that but lacked class when booing Sergio Aguero as he was taken past them on a stretcher. Some of them still claiming he had dived and tried to con the referee when it was clear to all in the stadium he had been hurt, not by a bad tackle but by an awkward fall. I enjoyed today's game and it did bring back memories of 13/5/12 only the goals came earlier this time. Bring on Liverpool and QPR.
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