Southampton finally rid themselves of the spectre of being crowned the joint worst team in Premier League history after somehow holding Manchester City to a goalless draw.
Rock-bottom and already relegated, Saints battled to secure their 12th point of a sorry season, which edged them past Derby’s record low tally of 11 from 2007/08.
This may have been one of the most one-sided 0-0 draws in Premier League history, with City having 72 per cent possession, 26 shots to Southampton’s two and 68 touches in the Saints box compared to just seven for the hosts.
But no one of a red-and-white persuasion on the south coast cared when the final whistle blew to give Saints a crumb of comfort, however small, from a dreadful campaign.
This was far from a dead rubber for City, who are still not assured of a Champions League spot, yet could have moved level with second-placed Arsenal with a win.
Saints almost gifted them an early own goal when Jan Bednarek hit a clearance straight into the backside of team-mate Flynn Downes with the ball rolling just wide.
Downes denied Josko Gvardiol at the far post from a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick, and Bednarek had to clear after Gvardiol hooked Phil Foden’s cross back across goal.
De Bruyne has always enjoyed playing Saints, having registered four goals and 10 assists against them, and the Belgian had a chance to add to his tally after he was dragged back by Lesley Ugochukwu, only to curl the free-kick just over.
As the first half drew to a close, Bernardo Silva saw a shot deflected wide, with Manuel Akanji heading over from the corner.
It was more of the same after the break, with Saints getting bodies in the way to repel shots from Silva, Foden and Mateo Kovacic.
Erling Haaland, back after missing seven matches through injury in a bid to prove his fitness for the FA Cup final, just failed to get his foot to a Foden free-kick, catching home goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale instead, and Jack Stephens cleared Silva’s scuffed shot from underneath the crossbar.
But Southampton, suddenly fancying their chances of a third win this season, burst forward out of nowhere and substitute Cameron Archer laid the ball off to Mateus Fernandes, whose shot was blocked by Ruben Dias.
Moments later, Ramsdale came out bravely to claim at Haaland’s expense as the big Norwegian chased a Jeremy Doku cross, and then the Saints keeper palmed away Akanji’s downward header.
City should have gone ahead when Haaland raced on to De Bruyne’s through-ball, cut inside Bednarek and rolled it across goal, but Nico O’Reilly, on moments earlier for Foden, could not finish the move.
Ramsdale then flung himself to his right to keep out Savinho’s close-range effort and tipped a Dias header over the crossbar.
A groan went around St Mary’s as an agonising seven minutes of stoppage time was announced, and moments later City substitute Omar Marmoush rifled a shot against the crossbar before, eventually, the sheer relief of the final whistle engulfed the ground.
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