MANCHESTER City were held to a shock goalless draw by Premier League basement club Southampton on Saturday while Aston Villa beat Bournemouth as the race for Champions League places hots up.
Pep Guardiola’s dethroned champions were expected to waltz to three points on England’s south coast and pull level with second-placed Arsenal on 67 points.
But although City dominated possession and had 26 shots, they could not break their opponents down, despite the return of top-scorer Erling Haaland.
Third-placed City, who play Crystal Palace in next week’s FA Cup final, remain well-placed to finish in the top five, which would secure qualification for the Champions League next season.
But Villa, in sixth spot, are now just two points behind them, on 63 points — level with Newcastle and Chelsea, who play each other on Sunday — after their 1-0 win at Bournemouth.
“(Southampton were) playing to defend and defend and defend and waste time,“ Guardiola told the BBC. “We take that point still, it’s in our hands.
“Didn’t expect them to defend so deep. Defensively we were so good but unfortunately we missed the last actions.”
There was an explosion of joy among the home fans at the final whistle even though Southampton’s relegation was sealed weeks ago.
The point for managerless Saints takes them to 12 for the season, meaning they have avoided the tag of being the joint-worst team in Premier League history.
They are now one point clear of Derby’s tally of 11 in the 2007/08 campaign.
“Everyone knows it’s been a difficult season for us,“ said Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
“That one was for the fans and also the lads who have given everything. A lot of Mondays coming in after heavy defeats. Today is a relief.”
– Watkins record –
Ollie Watkins’ goal in the dying seconds of the first half gave Villa a narrow win at Bournemouth, in a blow for the European hopes of Andoni Iraola’s men.
England forward Watkins is now the club’s all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League, his 75th goal taking him past Gabriel Agbonlahor’s tally of 74.
Villa’s Jacob Ramsey was dismissed after a second yellow card with 10 minutes to go, adding a touch of jeopardy.
Antoine Semenyo flashed a shot just wide and Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved smartly from Evanilson.
There was a heart-in-mouth moment for the visitors in the final moments when Martinez made a fingertip save to keep out Semenyo’s effort and Matty Cash cleared off the line.
Unai Emery’s team, who have suffered the crushing disappointment of defeats in the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals in recent weeks, can still finish the season on a high.
“Of course we want to try to get our best dreams to play in Europe, in the Champions League again,“ Emery told Sky Sports.
“But there are still matches to play, there are other teams in front of us but with this victory we can feel there are some possibilities to get it.”
Elsewhere, Brentford and Brighton both won to keep alive their European hopes.
Brentford beat already relegated Ipswich 1-0 for their fourth straight win, climbing to eighth in the table, which may be enough for European football next season.
Kevin Schade headed home from Bryan Mbeumo’s corner in the 18th minute for his 11th Premier League goal of the season.
“I see a strong team on form, we have got the momentum which is important,“ said Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
“We are close to finishing eighth which would be the best position ever in the league. We are laser-focused on what we can do.”
Brighton beat Wolves 2-0 at Molineux and are behind Brentford only on goal difference after goals from Danny Welbeck and Brajan Gruda.
Everton beat mid-table Fulham 3-1 courtesy of goals from Vitalii Mykolenko, Michael Keane and Beto.
Fourth-placed Newcastle host Chelsea on Sunday, with seventh-placed Forest in action against relegated Leicester.
Champions Liverpool play Arsenal, who are not yet certain of finishing in the top five despite being the closest challengers to Arne Slot’s men for the bulk of the season.
