The defeat three days before their semi-final second leg against Real Madrid left City manager Manuel Pellegini admitting he felt very frustrated.
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Following a trip to Spain on Wednesday, Manchester City host top-four rivals Arsenal on Sunday as both teams continue to hold onto their top-four spots for next seasons UEFA Champions League qualification.
The victory, courtesy of a Sadio Mane hat-trick and another from Shane Long, made it five wins in the last seven for Saints, who leapfrogged Liverpool into seventh place.
Iheanacho stood out in an ineffective front three alongside Wilfried Bony and Rahhem Sterling and brought City back into the game in the 44th minute after Samir Nasir low cross was deflected into the air.
The first goal for Iheanacho in the day’s game came when he headed home from close range after Martina had failed to clear inside his own box.
Manchester City have been a tale of two teams this season, as they look great in some matches and uninterested in others.
“This was not good preparation, this game didn’t give us enough confidence but we’ll put it behind us as soon as we leave here and focus on the game on Wednesday”, said Iheanacho.
Saints boss Koeman insisted Southampton in yesterday’s mood could have produced the same result against City’s strongest starting line-up.
“I hope Sadio can be more consistent in future, but of course he’s still a young player and sometimes that’s a natural part of progress”.
And he insists he won’t be fazed if Pellegrini calls on him at the Bernabeu to score the goals to help fire City into the Champions League final.
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“The best way to prepare is to win but we couldn’t do it”.
