Southampton’s hopes of automatic promotion faded away after a 2-2 draw with Bristol City at St Mary’s.
In a game that the Saints had to win, they failed to find a last-gasp goal after an all-round performance that failed to inspire.
A leggy performance saw Tonda Eckert’s side fail to find a match-winner, despite efforts to produce something out of the ordinary.
Player ratings: Saints 2-2 Bristol City
Goalkeeper and defenders
Daniel Peretz - 5/10: It wasn’t Daniel Peretz’s finest game. He made no obvious errors, but made a number of poor decisions with his distribution and conceded two goals.
James Bree - 5/10: Bree didn’t have one of his finest games, being substituted in the 71st minute as Saints searched for a match-winner. Not a poor performance by any means, but he looked tired.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis - 5/10: Southampton’s stand-in skipper was another player to have a pretty average game. A few poor, misplaced passes bring down Harwood-Bellis’s match rating in this one.
Nathan Wood - 4/10: Wood didn’t have the best of games, slowing down Southampton’s play when passing out from the back, and making a series of poor errors. He only knew about his starting spot moments before the match after a Jack Stephens knock, but his performance should have been better.
Ryan Manning - 4/10: Another Saints defender who didn’t have too fine a game, Ryan Manning scored an own goal for Bristol City’s opener, however unlucky it was.
Midfielders
Flynn Downes - 5/10: Downes struggled to dictate proceedings like he can do, against a resistant Bristol City side. Roy Hodgson set the Robins up well.
Shea Charles - 4/10: Charles had a poor game, but could have boosted his match rating had he scrambled a chance home to win the game late on. He was the only midfielder to play the ninety, suggesting he won’t start against Manchester City at Wembley.
Finn Azaz - 4/10: Azaz looked extremely tired and devoid of ideas. His non-stop football all season, without a break, may be catching up to him.
Attackers
Kuryu Matsuki - 5/10: Matsuki played well enough, but didn’t provide enough impetus. A rather average performance from him; he’s had much better games.
Cameron Archer - 6/10: Archer had a few attempts on goal, but was not able to come up with the goods for a third consecutive game. Saints lacked ball carriers in the first half, which Archer is not.
Cyle Larin - 7/10: Larin got on the end of long balls well and got his goal with an instinctive finish. He has scored in every one of his last four Saints starts.
Substitutes
57’ Leo Scienza - 6/10
57’ Tom Fellows - 5/10
71’ Caspar Jander - 5/10
71’ Ross Stewart - 6/10
87’ Cam Bragg - N/A
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