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On matchday five of the ongoing Premier League season, Manchester City were held to a 0-0 draw by Southampton. Referee Jonathan Moss' decisions were major talking points. A controversial u-turn on Kyle Walker's red card and penalty decision made headlines in what was supposed to be a comfortable fixture for the Cityzens.
Ralph Hasenhüttl's Southampton did extremely well to keep Pep Guardiola's side at bay. The manager's intent to field a practical defense that was capable of organizing itself frequently during transitions did wonders.
On that note, let's take a look at:
Manchester City's 5 best players against Southampton
#5 Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City's #17, Kevin De Bruyne, has often been tasked with the responsibility of unlocking defenses and more often than not, the Belgian has delivered. He found himself in the midst of action in the sixty-fifth minute when he came on for Fernandinho.
In 25 minutes of action, he looked sharp and composed as ever as City kept knocking on the door and he continued to whip in his trademark crosses. It was a performance that saw him enter the list of top players to play in this fixture.
His fruitless performance today was an indication of City's desperate need for a top quality centre-forward in their ranks.
#4 Nathan Aké
Nathan Aké, a £41 million acquisition from the season before will find himself fortunate enough to get minutes in the league considering the range of stars available to Pep Guardiola. It could be another story of a career revival, similar to that of England international John Stones last season.
During the fixture against Southampton, Aké cut a calm and composed figure across the ninety minutes as he was picked to start alongside centre-half mainstay Ruben Dias. Having started twice in four days for Manchester City, he will gain confidence to his game with today's clean sheet.
#3 Rúben Dias
Rúben Dias has proven to be an all-weather defender for the Blues. He is a defender who makes the job easier for his defensive partner.
Against Southampton, Dias denied their quick attackers any chance in front of goal. He was the quickest on the scene whenever the duo of Che Adams and Armstrong tried to penetrate Manchester City's box.
More importantly, Dias' partnership with Ederson to build up play from the back was important for City as they looked to supply their attack.
#2 Ederson
For a long time, goalkeepers have only been drafted into the top-performers' list based on their goal-saving ability. However, Ederson is a prime example of an accomplished sweeper-keeper who always stakes a claim to their flourishing attack. Credit is inevitably due to Guardiola's genius attacking philosophy, which sees the goalkeeper as an initiator of his team's attacking display.
He played a key role while keeping possession within their own half and proved to be an elemental part of City's build-up play. The important partnership with defender Rúben Dias also proved key whenever the Southampton attackers seemed to knock over City's defense.
#1 Jack Grealish
The headline £100m Manchester City signing from this summer, Jack Grealish, was a standout performer in their latest fixture against Southampton. Grealish is slowly but surely proving his worth for this City side with his outstanding ball-carrying abilities in the final third. He proved to be nothing short of a true force of nature with his immaculate runs towards the Southampton goal.
Having enjoyed his first start and first goal in the Champions League during the week, Grealish carried over all the momentum into this fixture. However, thanks to Southampton's organization at the back, the match ended in a stalemate. Yet his performance can be described as nothing short of electric.
This is surely a sign of bigger things to come as he continues to familiarize himself with Guardiola's style every passing match day.
