City show how Guardiola has changed them in Southampton win

Saturday was not for the fair-weather. The sky gloomed, the rain poured, and the sun felt like it was at least six months away from making an appearance.

It was the sort of day where a strong love for their football club was what drew supporters to the Etihad because there weren't any other redeeming features.

And it was the sort of day where, before Pep Guardiola's arrival, opposition teams would have fancied their chances against the Blues. Manuel Pellegrini's team were unplayable at their best but too often gave the impression that they simply didn't fancy it if conditions didn't suit.

Say what you like about the attacking quality on display on Saturday afternoon but this is a team that never gives up and fights until the very last whistle.

They showed it in the Centurions campaign where new Premier League records were set for consecutive victories and highest points tallies, from Raheem Sterling's late winner at Bournemouth to kickstart it all to Gabriel Jesus finishing it off on the final day with the last kick at Southampton.

They showed it last season as they fought back from a seemingly helpless position against a seemingly invincible Liverpool, overturning a seven-point deficit by winning their last 14 games. Vincent Kompany's howitzer against Leicester summed it up - whenever they needed something, they found it.

And everybody that left the Etihad on this miserably Mancunian afternoon had witnessed the same fighting quality from the Premier League champions.

City's decision-making on the day was as questionable as the England rugby team, taking a bizarre approach to testing Southampton's goal that saw them fail to get any of their first 18 shots on target. There were too many crosses, too many runs into blind alleys, and not enough calm.

Not once did City stop going though. Plug and plug and plug they did until Kyle Walker's blasted ball across the box was smashed home by Aguero.

Pass, pass, cross, repeat until Angelino's ball could only be tipped by Alex McCarthy into Walker's path. With three minutes of normal time remaining, City had done it, the players, managers and supporters all united in a breathless euphoria aided by the sense of jeopardy that is normally missing from such encounters.

Whether that will ultimately be enough to see Guardiola's side claim a third successive title remains unclear. Seeing Liverpool have a similar wobble should encourage them although Jurgen Klopp's men still sit above them, and more unforced errors from the Blues will only harm their cause.

But, in case it was ever in doubt, this performance reminded all that the champions are very much alive.