Report: Saints denied ninth straight win in Bristol City draw

Saints fell behind early on to Ryan Manning’s unfortunate own goal, before the Irishman made amends by crossing for Cyle Larin to level the scores in the 29th minute.

When Sam Bell headed home a second-half corner, Saints had it all to do again. Substitutes Tom Fellows and Ross Stewart combined for the Scot to equalise with 16 minutes to go, but for once there was to be no grandstand finish as City cemented their bogey-team status.

Back in 2011 it was the relegation-threatened Robins who denied Saints an unbeaten calendar year at St Mary’s with a shock 1-0 victory on the last matchday of December, while two seasons ago Saints fell to a 3-1 defeat at Ashton Gate in February, bringing an end to a club record 25-match unbeaten run.

This time Saints’ unbeaten status remains in tact, extended to 20 games, but a ninth straight victory proved a bridge too far to leave the play-offs as Saints’ most likely route to promotion once more.

Tonda Eckert initially planned on four changes from Saturday’s starting line-up at Swansea, only for captain Jack Stephens to suffer an injury in the warm-up.

That meant Nathan Wood kept his place in the side, while Saints’ two goalscorers in South Wales, Shea Charles and Cameron Archer, earned recalls along with Larin, as Caspar Jander, Leo Scienza and Stewart dropped to the bench.

Perhaps the late enforced change knocked Saints off their stride, because the hosts were second best out of the blocks.

Ryan Manning inadvertently gets the last touch on Scott Twine's teasing cross

City should have opened the scoring even before they did, when Bell’s left-footed pass released Delano Burgzorg in behind the backline.

The Dutchman raced ahead of Wood, and even had the luxury of taking a second touch to settle himself as he went eye to eye with Daniel Peretz, but the keeper spread himself to make a crucial save with his legs.

It would prove only a temporary reprieve, as Saints soon found themselves behind regardless.

City’s chief creative threat, Scott Twine, was afforded too much space to deliver a teasing cross from the inside-left channel that whipped in towards goal, leaving Manning desperate to get goal side of Bell and unable to prevent the ball glancing in off his head to beat the helpless Peretz.

Saints enjoyed plenty of the ball in decent areas, but were struggling to carve out any opportunities of note.

Charles’ sliced shot followed by a yellow card after losing his balance were symbolic of the hosts’ first-half struggles, but when Noah Eile grappled with Archer on the touchline, Saints had the chance to deliver a telling cross into the box.

There are few better outside the Premier League from such positions as Manning, who took his tally of goal contributions for the season to 13 with his sixth assist, swinging in a wicked ball for Larin to stretch and prod home via the post from four yards out.

Cyle Larin slides in to meet Manning's free-kick and level the scores

Still things were not quite clicking for Saints. Kuryu Matsuki led one counter-attack, finding Larin to his right before the Canadian’s shot was blocked, while Archer was looking sharp on the left, but Roy Hodgson’s Robins remained stubborn opponents.

It was Archer, the man with two goals in two games, who sent goalkeeper Radek Vitek sprawling to his left to tip his 20-yard left-footed drive around the post in the opening seconds after the interval as Saints signalled their second-half intent.

Eckert turned to his bench prior to the hour mark, summoning Fellows and Scienza, as Matsuki and Archer made way, giving Saints natural width on both sides.

Straightway Larin broke into the box and tried to pull the ball across for Scienza, but played the pass fractionally behind the Brazilian who lost his footing.

But instead it was the visitors who edged back in front, as Bell got in front of Charles at the near post to glance home Tomi Horvat’s right-wing corner.

With Millwall leading at Stoke, Saints’ hopes of automatic promotion were fading fast, as Eckert sent on Stewart and Jander in a bid to turn the tide with his team trailing for the third game out of the last four, as James Bree and Finn Azaz made way 20 minutes from the end.

Ross Stewart rises to score Saints' second equaliser of the night

The previous two had both resulted in comeback victories, over Derby and Swansea, and Saints put themselves on course to repeat the trick when two substitutes combined to deadly effect.

When Charles fed the ball into the box for Fellows, the winger hung up a delicious cross to the far post for Stewart to attack, overpowering his marker to head past Vitek to haul Saints level once more.

St Mary’s sensed a ninth straight victory. With the home fans roaring their team on, Vitek pulled out a vital stop to deny Charles, who was chasing a third late winner of the season after previous heroics against Leicester and Arsenal, but found the keeper in the way of his close-range volley after Jander headed the ball back into the box as Saints piled on the pressure.

Eckert waved his goalkeeper forward for a 99th-minute corner, the last action of the game, which was symbolic of Saints’ need for maximum points, but Manning’s delivery bypassed everyone as the club’s longest winning run in a single season since 1896/97 came to an end.

Southampton: Peretz, Bree (Stewart 71), Harwood-Bellis (c), Wood, Manning, Downes (Bragg 87), Charles, Matsuki (Fellows 57), Azaz (Jander 71), Archer (Scienza 57), Larin.

Subs not used: Long, Stephens, Welington, Edozie.

Goals: Larin (29’), Stewart (74’).

Booked: Charles, Downes, Larin.

Bristol City: Vitek, McCrorie, Eile, Borges, Pring, Morsy, Knight (c), Horvat (Dickie 81), Twine, Bell (Sykes 73), Burgzorg.

Subs not used: Thomas, Tanner, Naylor, Earthy, Young, Riis, Armstrong.

Goals: Manning (5’ og), Bell (63’).

Booked: Pring, Knight.

Attendance: 28,446.

Referee: Elliot Bell.