Manchester City defeated Southampton 1-0 to move top of the Premier League table on Saturday afternoon.
Goalkeeper Ederson, Josko Gvardiola, Ruben Dias and Mateo Kovavic were recalled to the City line-up following the midweek UEFA Champions league action.
The Citizens got the breakthrough after just five minutes when Erling Haaland got on the end of Matheus Nunes' cross before firing home from close range with an awkward finish.
It was promising to be a log after for the winless Saints, as Pep Guardiola's charges dominated the possession while Ederson barely had anything to do in his own box.
While City dominated for most of the half, the visitors nearly snatched the equaliser on the stroke of halftime when Cameron Archer saw his powerful strike crash against the crossbar.
Guardiola's charges were camped in the Southampton for most of the opening stages but they were unable to extended their lead as Haaland passed up a couple golden chances in the six-yard area.
Southampton responded with a change for the final 30 minutes, as the experienced Adam Lallana was brought off and replaced by Joe Aribo in the midfield with the hope of snatching something from the game.
Despite the late flurry of substitutions from both sides, 1-0 was how the encounter ended as Guardiola's men moved top of the league standings, two points ahead of Liverpool who face Arsenal on Sunday.