Man City ease victory to Saints

MELBOURNE: Manchester City turned the screw on their Premier League title rivals by beating Southampton at Etihad Stadium.

But there was bad news for watching England boss Roy Hodgson as Saints striker Jay Rodriguez was carried off with what looked like a serious knee injury.

That came after Yaya Toure's penalty had given the hosts the lead, though Rickie Lambert equalised with a spot-kick of his own.

Goals from Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko in first-half stoppage time, then a late effort from Stevan Jovetic, made it 14 wins from 15 home league games for City this season.

The victory moved them to within a point of leaders Liverpool, who visit West Ham on Sunday having already played a game more than Manuel Pellegrini's men.

And it was the perfect preparation for a trip to Anfield eight days from now in a match that could go a long way towards deciding the outcome of the title race.