The last time Erling Haaland played football for Manchester City was on March 30. A foot injury has kept him out of play since then. But when the team visited bottom-of-the-table Southampton, the Norwegian was back, not just on the field, but in the starting lineup.
But it was not a successful comeback. The 24-year-old left the field, just like the rest of his teammates, goalless.
Manchester City controlled the match picture totally, just as expected, but without creating any giant opportunities. Instead, Southampton surprisingly took a point, and can thus conclude that they no longer need to worry about becoming the worst team in Premier League history.
With the season's 12th point, Derby County's record of 11 points (season 2007-08) is no longer in play.
For Manchester City, the cross means that they may lose important points against competitors in the hunt for one of the five Champions League spots for next season.
With two matches left to play, the team is third, but has only two points down to both Newcastle and Chelsea, who are chasing closest, and another two down to Nottingham Forest in sixth place. All competitors have one match less played.
