The long-awaited return of Erling Haaland couldn't stop Manchester City from tumbling to another poor result in a season to forget for the deposed Premier League champion.

A surprising 0-0 draw at already-relegated Southampton, the Premier League’s last-placed team and one of the worst to ever play in England's top flight, threw City's Champions League qualification ambitions back into doubt on Saturday.

Having already relinquished the title to Liverpool, City is bidding to at least secure a top-five finish to get into Europe's lucrative elite competition.

Yet, with two games left in the league, that is far from certain after a sluggish display that even star striker Haaland — back after six weeks out with an ankle injury — couldn't turn around.

Third-placed City moved two points clear of Newcastle and Chelsea — who meet at St. James’ Park on Sunday — and four points ahead of Nottingham Forest, which hosts already-relegated Leicester on Sunday. Seventh-placed Villa was a further point back and visits Bournemouth later Saturday.

It seemed as if City turned the corner after a terrible run of results from November to February that knocked Pep Guardiola's team out of contention for a fifth straight Premier League title as well as the Champions League.

Indeed, arriving at Southampton on the back of four straight victories, City was even looking good to jump above Arsenal and finish second behind Liverpool.

This draw will revive the concerns about Guardiola's team ahead of games to close its Premier League campaign, at home to Bournemouth — a club chasing a first ever qualification for European competition — and away to Fulham.

“We take that point still,” Guardiola said. “It’s in our hands.”

Southampton was able to celebrate no longer being at threat of earning the label of the worst ever Premier League team.

The draw moved the Saints onto 12 points — one more than the lowest ever points haul in a single Premier League season, set by Derby County in 2007-08.

Finishing in eighth place could secure qualification for next season's Conference League — Europe's third-tier competition — and that remains the carrot for Brentford and Brighton after wins on Saturday.

Brentford beat already-relegated Ipswich 1-0 thanks to Kevin Schade's glancing header from a corner in the 18th minute.

Brighton won at Wolverhampton 2-0 after a 10th goal of the season by Danny Welbeck — a penalty in the 28th — and Brajan Gruda, who chipped the goalkeeper in the 85th for his first goal for the south-coast club.

Eighth-placed Brentford and ninth-placed Brighton were tied for points, two more than Bournemouth and four more than Fulham, which lost at home to Everton 3-1.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer