VINCENT KOMPANY scored his first English Premier League (EPL) goal since August 2015 to help Manchester City to go third with a 3-0 win at Southampton.

    Both sides struggled to create much in a disappointing first half in which neither goalkeeper was tested, though Leroy Sane will have been aggrieved not to have earned a penalty.

    But City found their stride after the break and it was Kompany, restored to the starting XI having been left out for the 3-1 victory over Hull City, who broke the deadlock.

    The Belgian’s header, which should have been saved by Fraser Forster, ended a 20-month drought — though the injury-plagued defender has only played 17 top-flight games in that time.

    Sane finished a rapid City counter-attack to effectively put the game to bed 13 minutes from time, before Sergio Aguero added gloss to the scoreline with a close-range header.

    Pep Guardiola’s men leapfrog Liverpool into third and are seven points ahead of Everton and Manchester United, although their city neighbors have two games in hand.

    City started brightly and Aguero appeared in the goalscoring mood as he had a series of sighters in the opening minutes.

    Dusan Tadic should have done better at the other end in the 15th minute when he blazed over from the edge of the box at the end of a well-worked move involving Nathan Redmond and Manolo Gabbiadini.

    James Ward-Prowse headed well off target from Steven Davis’ cross before David Silva only managed to turn a deflected Aguero delivery into the side-netting.

    The main talking point of a low-key first half came when Sane was upended in the area by Forster after latching onto Yaya Toure’s throughball, but referee Neil Swarbrick did not award a penalty. (SD-Agencies)