Head coach Pep Guardiola said the goalless draw with Southampton means Manchester City will have to fight until the very end of the season to qualify for the Champions League.
While a win on the south coast would move City level with second-placed Arsenal, a top-five finish is not guaranteed.
Guardiola's side will now have their sights set on the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace next Saturday, after which they will likely need to beat Bournemouth and Fulham to keep Newcastle, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest at bay.
“With today's result, yes,” he said. “We have three games, one FA Cup final and two (league) games.
“Even a month ago I didn’t expect anything different: it will be a fight to the very end.”
Southampton withstood the onslaught and Erling Haaland, returning from a seven-game absence, left the pitch disappointed as goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale saved shots from Nathan Akanji, Savinho and Ruben Dias, while Omar Marmouche hit the crossbar in injury time.
It was the first time City had failed to beat a team bottom of the table since November 2015 (a goalless draw at Aston Villa) and the first time they had gone 26 shots without scoring since a 1-0 defeat at Southampton five years ago.
City defender Dias has criticised Saints' tactics, saying: “They're not even trying to play, they're just wasting time throughout the game.
“I didn't even feel like they wanted to play or win. They were just sitting around doing nothing. We tried everything possible.”
However, Guardiola added: “Absolutely not. They can do whatever they want. We have faced them here for many years with different approaches and they have chosen to play this way.
“So that was our job, to break down their defense. That's what you have to do. We had opportunities.”
Asked whether Haaland would be healthy enough,
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
