Manchester City v Southampton player ratings: Sterling 5, Grealish 8; Bednarek 9, Adams 7

City manager Guardiola frustrated with 'sloppy' performance

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 7 - Dealt with everything comfortably when called upon. The Saints didn’t create too many opportunities so quiet day. PA

Kyle Walker 6 - Not the best game for the England defender who gave away a penalty and was sent off for bundling Adam Armstrong over in the box, but both decisions were overturned after VAR intervention. Getty

Ruben Dias 8 - A dominant display in the air from the Portugal international. The 24-year-old was a calm presence at the heart of the defence, playing the ball out from the back impressively. AFP

Nathan Ake 8 - Strong in the tackle and gave a faultless performance at the back. AP

Joao Cancelo 7 - A solid display from the in-form Manchester City star. Cancelo tried to give City an option down the flank and his work was equally impressive in defence. Getty

Ilkay Gundogan 7 - One of the City players who could have broken the deadlock and didn’t make many mistakes on the day. AP

Fernandinho 5 - Uninvolved for large parts of the game and was careless in possession at times. PA

Bernardo Silva 6 - Almost converted a cross from Gabriel Jesus but the winger was not as effective as he was against Leicester City. EPA

Gabriel Jesus 6 - Drifted in and out of the game on the right wing but was one of many who struggled against a frustrating Southampton defensive display. Getty

Raheem Sterling 5 - Played in a central role but didn’t look to have his shooting boots on. Too wasteful with efforts that didn’t call the goalkeeper into action. Thought he had won the game for City but was flagged offside and lengthy VAR check did not over-rule the decision. Getty

Jack Grealish 8 - City’s most dangerous player on the day and continues to impress since his big summer move from Aston Villa. Getty

SUBS: Kevin De Bruyne - (On for Fernandinho 65') 6 - Looked to ask questions of the defence with passing but too often didn’t find his target. Reuters

RIyad Mahrez - (On for Jesus 68) 6 - A useful substitute to have off of the bench but Mahrez couldn’t use his magic to pave a path to the three points at the Etihad. EPA

Phil Foden - (On for Silva 72') - Couldn't get on the ball as much as he would have liked but tried to make things happen when he did. Saw his effort saved by Alex McCarthy. Getty

SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Alex McCarthy 7 - The goalkeeper must have enjoyed the performance of his defenders today as they constantly disrupted Manchester City attacks. Overall a positive display and deserved clean sheet at the Etihad. AFP

Kyle Walker-Peters 9 - One of the Saints best outlets going forward in a game where chances were few and far between for Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side, and his performance in defence was just as impressive. EPA

Jan Bednarek 9 - A standout display from the Saints defender. Bednarek was made to work at the Etihad and stood up to Pep Guardiola’s attack. EPA

Jack Stephens 7 - Looked assured in the opening 30 minutes but was forced off with an injury. Getty

Valentino Livramento 7 - The young defender continues to impress and had a solid game overall despite one or two slack passes that failed to find their intended target. EPA

Mohamed Elyounoussi 8 - Agonisingly close with a pass that almost put Armstrong through for the winner. The winger’s defensive performance was also noteworthy in a well-deserved point for Southampton. AFP

James Ward-Prowse 6 - The midfielder was never going to have the space he normally gets but looked assured in the middle of the park. Couldn’t find a target with a number of crosses that were sometimes hit in hope. PA

Oriol Romeu 8 - The Spaniard didn’t want to head back to the south coast empty-handed and was impenetrable in the defence. AP

Nathan Redmond 6 - The winger wasn’t hugely productive but had some success with some passes that put the City defence under pressure. Getty

Adam Armstrong 6 - A hardworking display saw the striker work a number of shots, but they were never really troubling the goalkeeper. Getty

Che Adams 7 - Worked tirelessly and never looked to allow the City defence to have too much time on the ball. Replaced by Armando Broja after running endlessly. EPA

SUBS: Mohammed Salisu - (On for Stephens 37') 7 - A faultless performance in defence from Salisu. AFP

Armando Broja - (On for Adams 68) 6 - Struggled to make an impact in the game but Southampton were focused on defending the game out in the last spell of the game. PA

Romain Perraud - (On for Livramento 86') N/A.

Pep Guardiola admitted he felt “a bit guilty” after Manchester City failed to deliver a win for their fans against Southampton on Saturday.

The champions were held to a frustrating goalless draw in front of a near-capacity and vociferous crowd, as Guardiola had called for, at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola issued a rallying cry to supporters in midweek, stating his side would be tired after their Champions League game against RB Leipzig and would need their energy.

He said: “Always when the game is not good I feel bad for them. They come to see a show, to see a game and when it doesn’t happen I feel a bit guilty because we didn’t play good.”

In terms of the game itself, City did not muster a shot on target until the 90th minute and escaped a big scare when referee Jon Moss overturned decisions to award Southampton a penalty and send off Kyle Walker after a VAR review.

Guardiola claimed he did not see the Walker incident but admitted his side, who did have a last-gasp Raheem Sterling winner ruled out for offside by VAR, were not on song.

He said: “We were not good in our build-up. We lost simple balls in our process because we were not clever and a little bit sloppy.”