Pep Guardiola conceded he did not expect Southampton to defend so deep as his Manchester City side were held to a 0-0 bore draw at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday.

City had 26 shots at goal, the most they have had in the Premier League without scoring since doing so against the same opponents in July 2020, but lacked a real cutting edge.

Omar Marmoush did smash the crossbar in the closing stages and Aaron Ramsdale was certainly busy as the game wore on, but City ultimately failed to defeat a side starting the day bottom of the Premier League for the first time since November 2015.

Southampton, meanwhile, only had two shots and did not register one on target in a game where the plan was evidently to sit deep.

Reflecting on the outcome when speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola said: "In the second half we were much better, much more incisive, especially with the wingers. We brought players into the box.

"(But) they were so, so deep. I did expect it, but they defended there with 11 players in that penalty area, and it was not easy to break them down. We needed that quality in the right moment. We had four or five chances in the last few minutes, but we could not score.

"What happened, is, of course, when we were on the sides, the full-backs and wingers (were) completely different, the players in the middle were not much in the box, and we needed the quality. We could not do it, they were so defensive, it's difficult to break them down. Today that was the case."

Erling Haaland was back in the starting line-up for the first time since injuring his ankle at the end of March but managed only five touches in an ineffective first half.

Guardiola, in an additional quote reported by BBC Sport, conceded he did not intend for the Norway international to play for as long as he did with the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on the horizon next Saturday.

"He [Erling Haaland] didn't expect to play as many minutes, but the way the game was played we needed people in the box," Guardiola added.

For Southampton, a point means they move to 12 and one more than the lowest tally ever recorded in a Premier League season by Derby County in 2007-08.

They also kept a clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time since December last year against Fulham, ending a run of 18 games without a single shutout in the competition.

After the game, Ramsdale said in quotes reported by BBC Sport: "We're not happy about how the season has gone, but we're happy we've avoided that record.

"We're under no illusions that it's not a great points tally. The fans are happy in the sun, smiling.

"Everyone knows it's been a difficult season for us. That one was for the fans and also the lads who have given everything. A lot of Mondays coming in after heavy defeats. Today is a relief.

"When Rusky (interim manager Simon Rusk) came in, he asked us to be extraordinary in concentration and personality, and we showed that in abundance today.

"Credit to the lads and the way they defended. We made it hard for them."