Erling Haaland scored for the 10th game in a row in all club competitions as Manchester City cruised to a 4-0 win at home to Southampton on Saturday to move to the top of the Premier League.

The Norwegian striker had endured a difficult afternoon by his usual prolific standards but eventually got on the scoresheet in the 65th minute to grab City’s fourth goal after first-half strikes from Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden plus a volley after the interval from Riyad Mahrez.

The victory took City to the top of the standings on 23 points from nine matches although Arsenal, on 21, can reclaim the lead if they beat Liverpool at home on Sunday.

Southampton, meanwhile, were left 16th on seven points after falling to their fourth consecutive league defeat, piling more pressure on manager Ralph Hasenhuettl.

Haaland went into the game in ruthless form after hitting a hat-trick in last week’s 6-3 drubbing of Manchester United and scoring a double in the 5-0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League.

However, luck evaded him when he narrowly failed to open the scoring in the first half, smashing a shot off the inside of the far post and watching the ball trickle out of the goal.

Haaland later scuffed a shot wide and mistimed a header in the second half, but he was not to be denied, firing a first-time shot into the net after a cut-back from Cancelo to score his 15th league goal of the season and his 20th overall

Man City vs Southampton highlights

• GOAL! Haaland powers in a fourth

• GOAL! Mahrez volleys in a brilliant third

• GOAL! Foden chips Bazunu to double home side’s lead

• GOAL! Cancelo puts hosts in front with a fine finish

Manchester City FC 4 - 0 Southampton FC

Full match report

17:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

Manchester City moved top of the Premier League until Sunday evening at least with a routine win over Southampton on Saturday.

While Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side made life difficult for the champions last season and claimed two spirited draws, Saints could not have been more accommodating opponents this time around.

Read the full story here!

FT: Man City 4-0 Southampton

16:52 , Jonathan Gorrie

As routine as they come.

Final few seconds

16:50 , Jonathan Gorrie

90:00 - City will be sitting top of the league tonight.

They’re going to take some catching...

Southampton corner

16:46 , Jonathan Gorrie

83:00 - The traveling fans looking for any excuse to celebrate and drum roll the corner. It comes to nothing.

Saints change

16:39 , Jonathan Gorrie

City change

16:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

Ridiculous

16:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

Could be anything now

16:28 , Jonathan Gorrie

67:00 - City could really rack up the goals here now, Southampton are all at sea.

GOAL! Man City 4-0 Southampton | Erling Haaland ‘65

16:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

65:00 - Who else?

Haaland gets his goal with a fine finish with his left foot inside the box.

All City

16:21 , Jonathan Gorrie

60:00 - Any hope for Southampton to make things interesting appears to have gone.

The ball is almost exclusively in their half.

City change

16:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

Haaland misses

16:14 , Jonathan Gorrie

53:00 - Drives a strike inside the box wide!

Not been his day so far.

Ederson allowed to dribble 20 yards

16:13 , Jonathan Gorrie

51:00 - Safe to say the Southampton press has gone missing...

GOAL! Man City 3-0 Southampton | Riyad Mahrez ‘49

16:09 , Jonathan Gorrie

49:00 - Brilliant volley, runninng onto it after a clever ball from Cancelo!

CHANCE FOR CITY

16:06 , Jonathan Gorrie

46:00 - Silva volleys just wide!

Back undereway!

16:05 , Jonathan Gorrie

Southampton get the second-half started.

16:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

15:56 , Jonathan Gorrie

HT: Man City 2-0 Southampton

15:50 , Jonathan Gorrie

Cancelo and Foden have City cruising to top of the Premier League table as things stand.

CHANCE FOR SOUTHAMPTON!

15:47 , Jonathan Gorrie

45:00 - A difficult one admittedly.

Stuart Armstrong volleys just over from outside the box

Not happened for Haaland thus far

15:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

38:00 - Swipes at a chance just now!

Aside from hitting the post, it’s not clicked for Haaland yet.

GOAL! Man City 2-0 Southampton | Phil Foden ‘33

15:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

31:00 - Foden lifts the ball over Bazunu to double City’s lead!

Long afternoon for Saints

15:31 , Jonathan Gorrie

28:00 - Not defending badly by any means but that’s pretty much it. Forward players not getting much of a look.

GOAL! Man City 1-0 Southampton | Joao Cancelo

15:21 , Jonathan Gorrie

18:00 -Cancelo opens the scoring!

Brilliant weaving inside and out! Who needs Haaland?

City’s finishing has let them down

15:18 , Jonathan Gorrie

16:00 - Seems strange to say it this season but City’s finishing has let them down today.

Could well be 3-0...

CHANCE FOR CITY

15:16 , Jonathan Gorrie

14:00 - Haaland hits the post 1v1!

Maybe he is human after all...

CHANCE FOR MAN CITY!

15:15 , Jonathan Gorrie

14:00 - For the second time, Mahrez has finished poorly from close range after a cross-field ball from Cancelo.

City getting into the swing of things

15:14 , Jonathan Gorrie

12:00 - Not creating much in the way of chances but City are starting to knock the ball around nicely. That usually means bad news.

Haaland almost in

15:10 , Jonathan Gorrie

08:00 - De Bruyne overhits a pass slightly, allowing Bazunu to take it off Haaland’s toes.

Southampton have started well here!

Bella-Kotchamp ok to continue

15:07 , Jonathan Gorrie

05:00 - The German international can continue.

Big boost for Saints.

Southampton injury blow

15:06 , Jonathan Gorrie

05:00 - Really big blow for Southampton with key defender Bella-Kotchamp looking as if he cannot continue.

CHANCE FOR MAN CITY

15:03 , Jonathan Gorrie

01:00 - Bazunu saves well from Mahrez and Foden cannot finish from close range. Tried to be too clever.

KICK-OFF

15:01 , Jonathan Gorrie

We’re underway at the Eithad!

Warm-ups complete!

14:55 , Jonathan Gorrie

A look inside the Etihad

14:49 , Jonathan Gorrie

Latest odds

14:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

Betfair - Man City v Southampton

Man City to win 1/10

The draw 10/1

Southampton to win 22/1

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s message

14:38 , Jonathan Gorrie

“We’re not scared,” says the Southampton manager.

Clearly, he’s not going to say much else in the build-up to the game, but perhaps they have good reason not to be. After all, they took City to two draws last season.

Kyle Walker provides injury update

14:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

A doubt for the World Cup as things stand, the City defender wrote on Twitter: “As players we have to appreciate injuries are part and parcel of the game we love. My operation on Tuesday was a success and now I can concentrate on my rehab and getting back to full fitness. I will be supporting my team mates every day in any way I can.”

Good omens

14:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

Manchester City have lost only one of their 12 Premier League games against Southampton. who have picked up just two points their 11 games at the Etihad Stadium.

City are alos on a run of eight wins at home in the League.

Kevin de Bruyne close to overtaking a legend

14:20 , Jonathan Gorrie

Good luck Southampton!

14:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

Quite the task to keep him out...

No Jack Grealish!

14:07 , Jonathan Gorrie

Guardiola does love to rotate but no Grealish is a surprise.

Looked to be hitting form over the last two games.

Confirmed Southampton lineup

14:00 , Jonathan Gorrie

Confirmed Man City lineup

14:00 , Jonathan Gorrie

10 minutes until team news

13:51 , Jonathan Gorrie

Will Haaland be rested? Seems unlikely given City can go top of the table with a win today, although it’s certainly something Guardiola has hinted at before.

City players arrive

13:48 , Jonathan Gorrie

Got to fancy a win today, haven’t they?

Chelsea failed in £50m bid for former Man City player on deadline day

13:46 , Jonathan Gorrie

While not playing today due to injury, it’s worth remembering that Chelsea had a bid rejected for former Manchester City midfielder Romeo Lavia, now of Southampton.

The Blues completed the signings of both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria with just hours of the summer window to go, and Standard Sport can confirm a huge offer for the young Belgian was also submitted.

Southampton rejected the bid for a player they signed from City less than two months prior, on July 6, as they had no time to secure a replacement.

The new Chelsea ownership were the previous day in attendance as Lavia scored against the Blues his first Premier League goal as Southampton won 2-1 at St. Mary’s.

Manuel Akanji’s hidden talent

13:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

While not too much was made of Manuel Akanji’s late move to Manchester City, the Swiss international has impressed so far.

Indeed, it seems he has a hidden talent too...

Could this man be key?

13:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

Erling Haaland naturally takes most of the plaudits but Jack Grealish has been excellent in form of late.

Against a Southampton side likely to sit back, the England international could be crucial in creating space.

Ten Hag says ‘thank you’ to Man City for thrashing Man United in derby

13:27 , Jonathan Gorrie

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag thanked Pep Guardiola and Manchester City for the reality check dished out in Sunday’s derby demolition.

The Old Trafford giants are in the midst of their latest post-Sir Alex Ferguson rebuild after a wretched campaign that saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked and interim replacement Ralf Rangnick flounder.

United’s poor season means they are currently preparing for Europa League action rather than Champions League football, with the side jetting off to Cyprus to face Omonia Nicosia reeling from a humiliating 6-3 derby defeat.

Read the full story here!

Guardiola: Do not compare Haaland to Messi

13:15 , Jonathan Gorrie

Such has been Haaland’s form of late, the Manchester City star has drawn comparison to a certain Lionel Messi.

Guardiola, however, warned against doing so.

“Nothing is comparable with Leo Messi. How many new Messi’s is there ten or 15 but they all fail.”

Haaland overtakes Champions League royalty in five-star Man City win

13:04 , Jonathan Gorrie

Erling Haaland overtook Rivaldo and Luis Suarez on 28 goals in just 22 Champions League games as Manchester City ran out comfortable winners over FC Copenhagen on Wednesday night.

The Norway international struck a first-half brace as the superlatives around him continue to run dry. While Haaland’s first, a powerful finish from inside the box to sweep Joao Cancelo’s driven cross home, came after only six minutes, even that would have felt like a lifetime for the away side.

Pep Guardiola deployed what was effectively a front five in possession as Julian Alvarez, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish swarming around Haaland, who missed two good chances as City threatened to run riot.

City had their second when Haaland reacted first to Sergio Gomez’s deflected shot into the box as the 22-year-old tapped in to an empty net. Before the interval, the home side would add a third after another deflected shot from Gomez was turned into his own net by Davit Khocholava.

Guardiola then afforded Haaland (and Copenhagen) some rest after the break, though Mahrez was able to add to their tally by converting a penalty after Aymeric Laporte was brought down in the box by Marko Stamenic in the aftermath of a short corner.

Alvarez then added a fifth with a tap-in after some incisive interplay from Grealish and Mahrez to secure a routine win.

Southgate facing England defensive injury headache for World Cup

12:53 , Jonathan Gorrie

England manager Gareth Southgate is facing a defensive injury headache ahead of next month’s World Cup, with Kyle Walker at risk of missing the tournament after undergoing groin surgery.

Walker suffered what manager Pep Guardiola had initially said was an abdominal problem during Manchester City’s 6-3 victory over Manchester United on Sunday and was forced off before half-time.

However, in a statement on Thursday the club confirmed Walker had gone under the knife to resolve an issue with his left groin.

Speaking after City’s 5-0 victory over Copenhagen in the Champions League last night, boss Guardiola said he was unsure whether the full-back would recover in time for the tournament, which is now little more than six weeks away.

“He’ll be a while out,” Guardiola said. “I don’t know [how long]. I can’t say anything else. We have to speak to the doctors. Hopefully, he can get back like Kalvin [Phillips].

Grealish: I feel like I’m playing with a smile on my face again

12:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

Jack Grealish believes he is approaching his best form for Manchester City after an extended run in the team.

The England international has started City’s last four games across all competitions, slowly establishing himself as a key player in Pep Guardiola’s system.

While City’s strength in depth is obvious, Grealish scored against Wolves, received plaudits for his performance against Manchester United and was once again heavily involved as his team ran out 5-0 winners against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Clearly, Erling Haaland will dominate the headlines after scoring another brace and taking his tally up to a stunning 19 goals in 11 games for the club, though Grealish’s improvement is noteworthy given how much had been made of the 27-year-old’s form in his first season at the club following a £100m move from Aston Villa.

Read the full story here!

Prediction: Man City to win 4-0

12:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

How on earth does one go about devising a gameplan to successfully thwart goal machine Haaland and the rest of City’s vast attacking riches?

The strength in depth available to Guardiola is frankly preposterous and it seems impossible to shut down all of their threats simultaneously, especially as an out-of-form team away from home with a manager on the brink of the sack.

City were actually fortunate to escape with a goalless draw from this fixture last September, but that surely won’t be the case this time around.

Man City to win, 4-0.

Southampton team news: Adam Armstrong facing late fitness test

12:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

Southampton are still missing Tino Livramento and Romeo Lavia, while Adam Armstrong and Juan Larios both face late fitness tests.

Man City team news: Kyle Walker, Rodri could return

12:32 , Jonathan Gorrie

Manchester City are without Kyle Walker, who underwent surgery on a groin injury earlier this week and is now in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup.

England team-mates John Stones and Kalvin Phillips are also still out with hamstring and shoulder problems respectively.

Rodri, however, could return.

How to watch Man City vs Southampton

12:31 , Jonathan Gorrie

TV channel and live stream: Due to ongoing blackout restrictions surrounding 3pm kick-offs in English football, Manchester City vs Southampton will not be broadcast live on these shores.

However, you can catch highlights as ever on Match of the Day, which starts on BBC One at 10:25pm BST on Saturday night.

Live blog: You can follow all the action via Standard Sport’s live blog.

Welcome

12:23 , Jonathan Gorrie

Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Manchester City’s meeting with Southampton this afternoon.

All eyes are on Erling Haaland of course as he bids for his fourth consecutive hat-trick on home soil.

Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium is at 3pm BST.