Man City loss to Southampton most-watched Premier League game ever
Premier League
By
Mirror
| Jul 07, 2020
BBC have set another record after Southampton's stunning win over Manchester City on Sunday became the Premier League’s most-watched game on TV.
Last week it emerged that Manchester United's FA Cup quarter-final victory over Norwich on the BBC clocked up an impressive peak of 6.4million viewers, becoming the most-watched game since football returned from its temporary shutdown last month.
And they've followed up on that impressive figure by boasting a peak audience of 5.7m who tuned in to watch the Saints take on Pep Guardiola's side on free-to-air TV.
It means the BBC now have the TV record for a Premier League match.
And fans were treated to an entertaining encounter as a Che Adams wonder goal gave Southampton a surprise 1-0 win over outgoing champions Manchester City.
The former Sheffield United and Birmingham striker pounced after 16 minutes, when Oleksandr Zinchenko lost possession near the halfway line, and launched a stunning lob over Ederson from around 35 yards out.
It was Adams' first goal for Saints in 29 appearances, and his first since scoring for Birmingham against Leeds in April last year.
City launched wave after wave of attacks looking for an equaliser, but Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne squandered their best chances.
Live football continues on the BBC next Wednesday with the Premier League game between Burnley and Wolves.
The BBC also have the broadcast rights for the mouthwatering FA Cup semi-final showdown between Manchester United and Chelsea on Sunday July 19, plus the final on Saturday August 1.
Steve Rudge, BBC Lead Executive, Football, commented: “Having the Premier League on the BBC has been great for our viewers and we were delighted to deliver this compelling game to the widest free-to-air audience as BBC Football continues to capture the drama of the Premier League and the FA Cup.”