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Premier League

Result: Southampton safe despite late defeat to record-breaking Manchester City

Southampton confirm Premier League safety on the final day of the season despite losing 1-0 to champions Manchester City at St Mary's.

Southampton have secured Premier League safety on the final day of the season despite falling to a late 1-0 loss to champions Manchester City at St Mary's.

Substitute Gabriel Jesus scored in the dying embers of injury time in order to hand City three points on the road, leading the Sky Blues to become the first team to earn 100 points in an English top-flight season.

Victory for City also means that Pep Guardiola has achieved the century mark for points collected for the first time in his managerial career.

The defeat leaves Mark Hughes and his Saints side still sitting safe in 17th place after 38 games, while Swansea City proved to be the final side to be sent down to the Championship after losing 2-1 at home to already-relegated Stoke City elsewhere on Sunday.

Saints started with encouraging energy in the opening minutes and they might just have taken the lead when Wesley Hoedt made use of some slack zonal marking from City to head an effort straight against the crossbar with Claudio Bravo struggling.

Guardiola started with a forward three of Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, although the trio were unable to make any early inroads as Saints held firm and defended with laudable pragmatism throughout the first period.

The Saints kept City at times in two minds as they showed promise of throwing men forward rather than sitting deep. The hosts almost profited when Hoedt was left free at the back post, but the defender could only lash into the side-netting.

Sterling was markedly quiet in the first half but he showed glimmers of promise just before the break, rolling the challenge of Yoshida cleverly only to spoon his resulting shot over the bar without testing Alex McCarthy.

Southampton appeared relatively relaxed at St Mary's and a bright end to the first period saw Oriol Romeu break into space on the edge of the City box, leaving the midfielder to drive just over the goal frame.

City were improved after the break and they should have opened the scoring when the ball fell kindly to Fernandinho inside the box, but the unmarked Brazilian could only blaze over the bar after opting to hit the ball first time.

The Sky Blues soon taken control inside the Saints half and they spurned two standout chances with just over 30 minutes to play. First Sterling saw his deflected shot come back off the post, before McCarthy did well to backpedal and tip a John Stones header over the bar from the resulting corner.

City switched to a back three as they went in search of a winner, leaving space on the left flank for Dusan Tadic, who produced a delightful cross for substitute James Ward-Prowse, leaving the youngster's header to be kept out by a diving Bravo.

Southampton might just have pinched a shock win in the closing stages, only for Fernandinho to make a crucial block on the line to deny Tadic, whose clever run had left both Danilo and keeper Bravo all at sea.

It had looked like both sides were to be made to settle for a point, but substitute Jesus latched on to a delightful long ball from Kevin De Bruyne in the final minute of stoppage time, allowing the Brazilian to lob McCarthy and see City break England's top-flight points record.

SOUTHAMPTON (3-4-3): McCarthy; Hoedt, Yoshida, Stephens; Cedric, Bertrand (McQueen 81'), Romeu, Hojberg; Tadic, Austin (Long 64'), Redmond (Ward-Prowse 64')

MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Bravo; Danilo, Stones, Laporte, Delph (Jesus 59'); Fernandinho, Gundogan (Foden 82'), De Bruyne; Bernardo (Diaz 78'), Sane, Sterling

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City3832421062779100
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd38256768284081
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs38238774363877
4Liverpool382112584384675
5Chelsea382171062382470
6Arsenal381961374512363
7Burnley381412123639-354
8Everton381310154458-1449
9Leicester CityLeicester381211155660-447
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle38128183947-844
11Crystal Palace381111164555-1044
12Bournemouth381111164561-1644
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham381012164868-2042
14Watford38118194464-2041
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton38913163454-2040
16Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38910192858-3037
17Southampton38715163756-1936
RSwansea CitySwansea3889212856-2833
RStoke CityStoke38712193568-3333
RWest Bromwich AlbionWest Brom38613193156-2531
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Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City3832421062779100
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd38256768284081
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs38238774363877
4Liverpool382112584384675
5Chelsea382171062382470
6Arsenal381961374512363
7Burnley381412123639-354
8Everton381310154458-1449
9Leicester CityLeicester381211155660-447
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle38128183947-844
11Crystal Palace381111164555-1044
12Bournemouth381111164561-1644
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham381012164868-2042
14Watford38118194464-2041
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton38913163454-2040
16Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38910192858-3037
17Southampton38715163756-1936
RSwansea CitySwansea3889212856-2833
RStoke CityStoke38712193568-3333
RWest Bromwich AlbionWest Brom38613193156-2531
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