I saw ex-Liverpool man lose his cool v Man City in a moment that left Erling Haaland laughing

Manchester City’s Premier League meeting with Southampton provided plenty of frustration for both sides.

For the champions, despite earning a 1-0 win and maintaining the unbeaten start to the new season, there was undeniably a feeling that they didn’t have things all their own way. Pep Guardiola praised Southampton’s brave approach after the game and admitted his team ‘struggled to regain the ball’ at times.

That they couldn’t find a second goal led to a slightly uneasy feeling at the Etihad, while Erling Haaland was left disappointed that he couldn’t convert any of his three big chances in the second half.

For Southampton, they also came away with a sense of annoyance that, for all their good play, there weren’t many chances to show for it. Cameron Archer hit the crossbar in first-half injury- time and Adam Armstrong fired over not long after the interval, but that was about the height of it.

The away supporters also felt they were on the receiving end of some questionable refereeing decisions - a hot topic over the weekend. One moment particularly irked the Saints as a free-kick was given against Flynn Downes at the end of the first half for his challenge on Bernardo Silva.

That Downes won the ball with a perfectly timed tackle escaped the attention of referee Tony Harrington, who, to pour salt in the wounds, produced a yellow card. Southampton were furious. So much so that Russell Martin was also booked in the aftermath, which means he’ll now serve a one-match touchline suspension for the midweek Carabao Cup clash against Stoke City.

“I don't really speak out about that, but I'm going to miss next week's game for throwing my arms up in the air,” the 38-year-old said after the game. “It's a bad decision because Flynn takes the ball and gets booked. 

“I didn't swear at the fourth official, I threw my arms up in the air at a bad decision and I got booked. It’s nonsense.”

Martin wasn’t the only one who was annoyed by the decision. Adam Lallana, making just his second start of the Premier League season was also vexed. Oddly, he decided to direct his fury at the fourth official rather than the referee and bellowed in the direction of the benches after Downes' booking.

Lallana’s vocal approach was a common theme of the afternoon for Southampton. The experienced midfielder, who signed from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer, repeatedly directed instructions to his team-mates throughout the game and also chipped away at the officials throughout the game.

Perhaps it was that nagging presence that led Harrington to again brandish another harsh yellow card in the second half, this time for Lallana. As Southampton were awarded a free-kick in their own half, the perceptive Phil Foden jogged forward to block it being taken quickly.

Although the Saints weren’t set or ready to play the free-kick yet, Lallana twice kicked the ball against Foden to draw the referee’s attention and, he hoped, result in the City midfielder having his name taken. Instead, it was Lallana who had the yellow card shown in his direction.

While a tad unfair, Harrington had clearly had enough of the former Liverpool man’s moaning. It was also more than a little mischievous - Foden showed his disappointment by lightly pushing Lallana, while Haaland smirked as the Southampton midfielder was cautioned.

On a booking and returning from a recent injury, Martin made the sensible decision to replace Lallana soon after. He wasn’t quite done yet, though. As Southampton’s no.10 exited the field he had one last pop at fourth official Sam Allison. “Twice, twice,” he shouted at the official, clearly in reference to the Foden incident.

The City fans behind the dugouts enjoyed the exchange, with a few ironic cheers directed at a player who was once seen among the club’s biggest rivals. Lallana played 178 times for Liverpool during six years at Anfield, a period in which won the Premier League and Champions League.

It was a moment that showed the rivalry between the clubs still burns brightly, especially on a weekend when dropped points from Arne Slot’s side allowed City to take top spot. Whether Liverpool can push City all the way remains to be seen, but having picked up four points from games against Chelsea and Arsenal in the last two weeks, there might be a growing sense around the Etihad that Liverpool could offer a real threat.

Guardiola’s side travel to Anfield on 1 December in a game that is beginning to look like a significant clash in this season’s title race.