Southampton's bid for automatic promotion has suffered a setback after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Bristol City at St Mary's. The hosts had to come from behind twice, with Ryan Manning's own goal and Sam Bell's header being cancelled out by Cyle Larin and Ross Stewart.
Despite extending their unbeaten run to 20 games, Southampton's eight-match winning streak came to an end ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City. The match saw the oldest and youngest managers in the Championship face off, with Roy Hodgson's experience pitted against Tonda Eckert's youthful energy. Southampton's plans were disrupted when captain Jack Stephens suffered an injury in the warm-up, and they struggled to find their rhythm in the early stages. Delano Burgzorg had a chance to put the visitors ahead but lacked composure in front of goal.
The hosts' disarray continued when Manning headed into his own net, but they grabbed the initiative back through Larin's goal just before the half-hour mark. City created few chances, but Burgzorg curled over the bar and Sam Morsy rasped a shot wide. Southampton started the second half more assuredly, with Cameron Archer forcing a save from Radek Vitek.
Bell netted his second goal in as many appearances to put City ahead, but Stewart headed in the equalizer just three minutes after coming off the bench. The home side had a chance to win it through Shea Charles, but he was denied by Vitek.
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert reflected on the game, saying, 'There are no easy games in the Championship, and today proved that. We had two chances to win it, but we'll take the point and move on.' Bristol City's Roy Hodgson was proud of his team's performance, saying, 'I enjoyed watching it, and I think the players should be proud.
We kept them at arm's length for most of the game and created more clear-cut chances.'