Last-Gasp Gabriel Jesus Winner Takes Man City to Magical 100 Point Mark
Gabriel Jesus' stunning last-gasp winner gave Manchester City a narrow victory over Southampton, taking Pep Guardiola's side to 100 points for the season - a feat never previously achieved in the Premier League.
The match looked almost certain to finish 0-0 after a hard-working display by the Saints, until Kevin De Bruyne found Jesus in space and the striker sent a looping finish past Alex McCarthy to seal victory in the 93rd minute of play.
Despite having a typically large share of the possession in the first half, City struggled to break down Southampton's organised defence and rarely troubled Alex McCarthy in goal. Though there were few chances to speak of at either end during the opening 45 minutes, it was the Saints who came closest to scoring as defender Wesley Hoedt saw his header hit the bar in the early stages of the game.
City began to show a little more of their usual attacking fluidity in the second half but chances remained at a premium for Guardiola's side, Raheem Sterling hitting the post and John Stones seeing his header tipped over the crossbar. Southampton came close to breaking the deadlock themselves in the 78th minute when Dusan Tadic rounded Claudio Bravo, only to see his shot cleared off the line by Fernandinho.
With just seconds remaining on the clock, it seemed Southampton were about to clinch an impressive draw to end the season on a high note. However, City refused to let their heads drop and sealed the win with virtually the last kick of the game, Jesus wheeling away to celebrate with the away fans.
Though Southampton could still have been relegated today mathematically, Saints fans knew their team's survival was all but guaranteed and there was a party atmosphere for much of the game at St. Mary's, made even better as news filtered in of Swansea's defeat to Stoke.
Despite winning just seven matches all season, Southampton's upturn since the arrival of Mark Hughes sees them finish narrowly above Swansea and the Saints can now look forward to top-flight football next season - though there is work to do if they are to avoid the drop next year.
As for City, victory today means they have won 32 league games this season - more than any side in the history of the English top flight. It is a day for celebration on the blue side of Manchester - though Guardiola will most likely already be preparing for his side's title defence next season.
