The Norwegian had a hugely disappointing return to action as City failed to break down their ultra-stubborn hosts in a shock 0-0 stalemate
This should have been an ideal stage for Erling Haaland to demonstrate his power and sharpness ahead of the FA Cup final after six weeks out injured. Instead, it was a worrying performance from the Norwegian hitman and his Manchester City team-mates as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Southampton, who managed to avoid going down as the joint-worst team in Premier League history.
City bossed possession but the relegated Saints simply would not budge and put up a defensive wall which would not fall whatever City threw at it. The draw took Southampton on to 12 points for the season, edging ahead of Derby County's worst-ever tally of 11 and ensuring they will not join the Rams in the unwanted record books.
A victory would have all but secured City's place in the top five and Champions League qualification and although it remains likely, they did not need any more doubt to creep in, particularly one week before the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
GOAL rates Man City's players from St Mary's…
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Ederson (6/10):
Only faced two shots, neither of which were on target.
Rico Lewis (5/10):
Struggled to help City get around Saints' low block and was taken off for O'Reilly as they searched for a winner.
Manuel Akanji (6/10):
Got forward on a few occasions and kept Ramsdale on his toes with two efforts on target and one strike from distance which came close.
Ruben Dias (6/10):
Very good in defence and was oddly City's most dangerous player, with three efforts on goal, the closest coming when Ramsdale palmed his header over the bar.
Josko Gvardiol (6/10):
Had some joy down the left and tried to link up with Haaland in the area but it didn't quite come off.
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James McAtee (5/10):
Very quiet on the right wing as City did all their attacking down the left. Removed at half-time for Doku.
Mateo Kovacic (6/10):
Controlled the game well as he has done repeatedly in recent weeks but his team-mates couldn't do their part and open the Saints up.
Bernardo Silva (5/10):
Had one of City's best efforts, seeing his shot hacked away from the line by Harwood-Bellis. Other than that he had no answer to Southampton's ultra-defensive tactics, failing to pull anything out of the bag.
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Kevin De Bruyne (5/10):
Looked like City's most likely source of a goal and came close to finding one late on when his shot was tipped over the bar by Ramsdale.
Erling Haaland (4/10):
Looked like a player who has been absent for six weeks. Had very few touches and lacked the sharpness and speed to break between the lines while he also failed to get on the end of a couple of promising crosses.
Phil Foden (4/10):
Another uninspiring performance from the player of last season. Tried to find Haaland on a couple of occasions and had two shots himself but couldn't even test Ramsdale.
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Jeremy Doku (6/10):
Added more thrust and excitement to City's attack but his final pass, such as his botched ball to Haaland, was lacking.
Savinho (5/10):
An extra attacker to worry the Saints but he lacked the sparkle needed to push the wall over.
Nico O'Reilly (5/10):
Has often been the one to break down rigid defences but today was not that day.
Omar Marmoush (6/10):
Brought on in the 84th minute and came closest to getting the goal when he hit the bar in added time.
Pep Guardiola (5/10):
This was not the final rehearsal he would have wanted before the FA Cup final and he will be concerned about his team's ability to break down the most stubborn of defences.