Raheem Sterling scored another late goal to deny Southampton and keep Manchester City's winning run intact with a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Saints were on the verge of becoming just the second side this season to stop their opponents from winning in all competitions, having levelled up the contest with 15 minutes left to play.

City's winning run was stretched to a 12th top-flight game, however, and 19th in all competitions, through a sublime Sterling strike in the sixth minute of added time to open up an eight-point lead at the summit.

The first of the hosts' seven on-target attempts in the first half arrived just a few minutes in via the boot of Fabian Delph, who forced nothing more than a routine stop out of Fraser Forster.

England international Forster also had to be alert to keep out Fernandinho later in the half, before Nicolas Otamendi helped the ball over the crossbar from close range.

Southampton had a big chance of their own to open the scoring 15 minutes into the contest, though, after Wesley Hoedt got on the end of Ryan Bertrand's corner to head it back against the woodwork.

Normal service was resumed soon after, with Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero - paired in tandem tonight due to the absence of Leroy Sane - being denied by Forster in quick succession.

Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne also had fairly weak attempts kept out, and the missed openings so nearly proved costly when Maya Yoshida volleyed over from a good position after Mario Lemina - back in the starting lineup after more than five weeks away - also had a close-range shot turned behind.

Frustrated for 45 minutes in the first half, it took City a little over 60 seconds of the second to make a breakthrough after Virgil van Dijk stuck out a leg to divert De Bruyne's free-kick delivery into the back of the net.

Jesus came within inches of bagging a second a minute later, firing across the face of goal, and Forster was again needed on the hour when producing another double save.

Brazil forward Jesus was thwarted from a one-on-one position after possession was turned over, before De Bruyne's belter from 25 yards was tipped past the post.

Southampton had scored on seven of their eight visits to the Etihad Stadium prior to tonight, providing some hope of snatching a point, but the best chances kept falling the home side's way - Aguero and Fernandinho coming close to a second.

The Saints, now winless in 15 against last season's top-six opposition, felt that they should have had a penalty 20 minutes from time as Vincent Kompany blocked a shot with his hands.

Van Dijk powered a header over the target from the resulting corner in another warning sign for City - a warning that they failed to take as Southampton found a way through soon after.

Substitute Sofiane Boufal brought down the ball and laid it off for Oriol Romeu, who swept home via the underside of the crossbar to seemingly earn his side an unlikely point.

Up popped Sterling at the end of the five added-on minutes, though, tucking the ball out of Forster's reach from the edge of the box with his curled attempt to keep City's momentum going.

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Delph; Gundogan (B.Silva 80'), De Bruyne, Fernandinho; Sterling, Aguero, Jesus (D.Silva 74')

Southampton (5-3-2): Forster; Soares (McQueen 87'), Yoshida, Hoedt, Van Dijk, Bertrand; Romeu, Hojbjerg (Boufal 64'), Lemina; Redmond, Long (Austin 83')