EPL: Manchester City move to second after beating Southhampton

Southampton: Sergio Aguero created two goals as champions Manchester City leapfrogged Southampton into second place in the Premier League table with a 3-0 win at St Mary's yesterday

Man City's Frank Lampard scores during an EPL match against Southampton at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton yesterday. City won 3-0. pic/Getty Images

Yaya Toure drilled home Aguero's pass in the 51st minute and though City centre-back Eliaquim Mangala was then sent off, late goals by Frank Lampard and Gael Clichy sealed the win.

City's Eliaquim Mangala sees red
Mangala was shown a second yellow card in the 74th minute after barging over Shane Long, but Lampard and Clichy's strikes safeguarded an impressive win that took City to within six points of leaders Chelsea.

Following previous wins over Swansea City and Bayern Munich, Manuel Pellegrini's appear to have rediscovered some self-belief after a run of only one win in six games that began in mid-October.

It was a first home defeat since April for Southampton, who have embarked upon a testing sequence of fixtures that continues with Arsenal's visit on Wednesday before they host Manchester United a week later, on Monday.

Skipper Vincent Kompany injured
Victory was not completely without complications, however, as a late injury to Vincent Kompany obliged them to see out the game with nine men.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini later said that captain Kompany will undergo tests on Monday after injuring his hamstring at Southampton. Kompany limped off in the latter stages of the game, shortly after Clichy had scored from Sergio Aguero's pass in the 88th minute. "Kompany has a problem in (his) hamstring. But we'll see tomorrow (Monday) if it's just a cramp or it's an injury," said Pellegrini as his team are now just six points behind leaders Chelsea.