Manchester City could not manage more than a goalless draw against bottom-of-the-table Southampton. Despite the setback, the Skyblues remain in control of their own destiny in the race for Champions League places.
ManCity coach Pep Guardiola made five changes after the 1-0 win against Wolverhampton. Lewis, Akanji, McAtee, Foden and Haaland came in for Matheus Nunes, O’Reilly, Marmoush, Gündogan and Doku. The Norwegian made his comeback after missing the last seven games.
ManCity harmless in the first half
Against Southampton, who had already been relegated weeks ago, ManCity were the dominant team from the start, as expected, but Pep Guardiola’s side lacked ideas to break down the Saints’ deep block. Despite having plenty of possession, the visitors created virtually nothing from open play in the entire first half. Only De Bruyne’s cleared free kick (9th minute) and his direct free kick (32nd minute) gave the spectators a brief moment to catch their breath.
The Skyblues continued to struggle after the break. Bernardo Silva had the first and best chance of the game, but his shot from a pass by the lively Doku, who was substituted at half-time, was cleared off the line (64′).
Marmoush hits the bar
Man City increased the pressure noticeably in the following period, but they continued to lack precision – as was the case with Haaland’s inaccurate cross (76′) and Savinho’s shot from close range (83′). Ruben Dias’ deflected header (84′) and Marmoush immediately after coming on as a substitute (85′) then forced Saints goalkeeper Ramsdale into at least one save, although he otherwise had little to do as the ball landed wide of the goal. Marmoush had the best chance of the closing stages, but he hit the crossbar (90+1).
So it ended 0-0, meaning that either Newcastle or Chelsea can overtake the Sky Blues on Sunday (when they face each other in a direct duel). At the same time, Nottingham and Aston Villa can also catch up in terms of points and increase the pressure. While Southampton, whose fans celebrated their 12th point of the season frenetically, will play their last away game of the season at Everton on Sunday (1 p.m.), ManCity are back in action on Saturday (5.30 p.m.) with the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
