Fabian Delph has said that it was important for Manchester City to "bounce back" by beating Southampton.
The midfielder scored his first City goal as they went top of the Premier League table with a 3-1 win.
"It was a very important game. We needed to bounce back. We managed to do that and get the three points. It was about giving the reaction to the manager," Delph told reporters.
"We did that today, and we'll go home happy. It was very sweet to get my first goal, and I hope things can keep pushing on.
"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me because it's been stop-start, but training with these players can only help me. Football has ups and downs but we've got more than enough quality in the locker to bounce back from difficult weeks."
City lost 1-0 to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
