Manchester City were held to a 0-0 draw by Southampton at St Mary's Stadium as they missed the chance to really entrench their Champions League qualification prospects.

Saints failed to muster a single shot on target, and just two overall, in a game where City huffed and puffed but never truly did enough to blow the door down on Saturday.

Jeremy Doku's half-time introduction did at least open things up and he set up Bernardo Silva for a chance that Jack Stephens did well to block.

Omar Marmoush also crunched the crossbar in injury time as Pep Guardiola's side were left frustrated against the league's bottom side.

A point means City are third and four points clear of sixth-place Nottingham Forest as they look to round-out a spot in the top five, while Southampton move to 12 points – one more than the lowest-ever Premier League tally recorded by Derby County in 2007-08. 

There was little to speak of in a turgid first half but Doku's introduction after the break led to him cutting one back for Silva to dig one goalwards that Stephens hacked to safety.

An otherwise ineffective Erling Haaland laid one on a plate for substitutes Nico O'Reilly and Savinho, who had overshot their rungs into the area, while Aaron Ramsdale became busier in the closing stages to deny Ruben Dias and Kevin De Bruyne.

Ramsdale needed the help of the crossbar to keep out Marmoush's whipped strike inside the area as City were held to a frustrating stalemate.

Data Debrief: Saints avoid unwanted history as profligate City pay the price

It has been a season to forget for Saints but their spirited draw here means they now have 12 points and avoid recording the joint-lowest Premier League tally in a single season (Derby County in 2007-08, 11).

For City, it really was a day of frustration and they had 26 shots, which represents their most in a Premier League game without scoring since July 2020 – coincidentally also coming against the Saints at St Mary's.

City have consequently failed to score in four of their previous 11 Premier League games, as many blanks as in their previous 55 in the competition.

Moreover, they have failed to score in six Premier League games this season, their most in a single top-flight campaign since 2015-16 (eight).

It is also the first time City have failed to defeat a side starting the day bottom of the table in the Premier League for the first time since November 2015 (0-0 versus Aston Villa), with that also the last time they were unable to score against such an opponent.