Southampton 0-0 Stoke City

Southampton finished the match on top but failed to find a breakthrough

Stoke manager Paul Lambert feels his side have the "momentum" heading into the final nine games of the season, after drawing with Southampton.

The Potters are above only West Brom in the Premier League, and were indebted to goalkeeper Jack Butland at St Mary's.

But the draw means they have lost just one of their six games under Lambert, after losing six of the eight before that.

And they are only one point behind Southampton, who are in the first position of safety.

"Credit to the team, a few months ago we would have lost it," said Lambert, who replaced Mark Hughes in January. "It was fantastic.

"Look at the table and three points takes you to 13th, I think. Momentum is with us. But a big credit to the team for that."

Saints' failure to score meant Stoke kept an away clean sheet in the league for the first time in 10 matches.

The hosts slipped to just one place above the relegation zone after Butland denied Josh Sims, Cedric Soares and Nathan Redmond in the second half.

And Stoke were fortunate Saints substitute Sofiane Boufal failed to find the target with a free header with his first touch.

Brilliant Butland keeps Saints at bay

The draw edged the Saints a point clear of 18th place but meant they set a new Premier League club record by going eight consecutive home matches without a win.

Southampton found Butland on his best form, particularly in the second half, but Boufal should have given the England goalkeeper no chance.

He had only just replaced Sims on 76 minutes when he failed to divert Nathan Redmond's cross on target from just outside the six-yard area.

Saints had 15 corners compared to just four from Stoke, and failed to convert having 65% of possession into goals.

That underlines the fact they are missing Charlie Austin, with the striker still sidelined by a hamstring injury.

Austin has scored six goals this season - and had five in his previous seven games before getting injured against Huddersfield just before Christmas.

Manager Mauricio Pellegrino has other options, but Manolo Gabbiadini has only just ended a run of 16 games without a goal, and Argentine Guido Carrillo has yet to score since arriving in January.

On a positive note for Southampton, Sims did not look out of place on just his second Premier League start.

The 20-year-old returned in December after nine months out injured, having made 13 appearances last season under former manager Claude Puel.

He looked dangerous, being denied by Butland on several occasions and also linking well with his team-mates.

Josh Sims spent nine months on the sidelines following knee surgery

Still hope for Stoke

Stoke would be playing Championship football were the season now over, but they kept themselves in the mix for survival with a third draw in as many games.

Stoke were 18th in the Premier League table, a point away from safety, when Lambert took over from Hughes following a run of five defeats in seven Premier League games.

Their home match with Manchester City a week on Monday could be regarded as a free hit, then Everton visit the Bet365 Stadium the following Saturday.

The latter is clearly a much more winnable fixture - and they may have to rely on their home form to stay up, having won just one away game all season; this draw was just the eighth point they have won on their travels.

Butland ensured their goals against column did not swell beyond 54, and Shaqiri again looked lively before fading in the second half.

But Stoke will hope Mame Biram Diouf's shoulder injury, which forced him off in the first half, is not too serious.

The Senegalese is believed to have dislocated his shoulder during a strong aerial challenge with Wesley Hoedt inside the first 20 minutes.

"It looks like Mame Diouf's shoulder has popped out. I need to see how he is feeling. It was a big loss as he gave us an outlet," added Lambert.

Mame Biram Diouf did return to watch the end of the match from the bench

Man of the match - Jack Butland (Stoke City)

Jack Butland kept Southampton out on numerous occasions, especially in the second half, to earn his side a point and claim the honours just ahead of Southampton's Josh Sims

'Every single game is important' - what they said

Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino: "We dominated the game in the second half and had the most clear chances. It is efficiency. We couldn't score. We couldn't convert the possession into goals. That is part of football. We are disappointed but we need to use the second half for the next game.

"The team played with more tempo second half and did enough to try and win the game, but we have to do it from the beginning. Maybe the tempo wasn't good enough at the start. There was a lot pressure. They pressed us and we couldn't find the spaces.

"You have to try and find different solutions. This is the Premier League. We know it is tough. Everyone tries to win the game. Every single game is important now."

Stoke keep it clean - the key stats

• Southampton have won just once in the past 16 Premier League games (D9 L6), and are winless in their past eight at St Mary's.

• Saints have failed to score in three consecutive home Premier League meetings with Stoke, their joint-longest run without scoring against a single opponent on home soil in the competition (also against Wimbledon in 1998 and Bolton in 2003).

• The Potters have failed to find the back of the net in five of their past nine league games, netting just five goals in total in those games.

• Southampton mustered 18 shots in this game, the most they have attempted without scoring in a Premier League game since the opening day of the season against Swansea (29).

What's next?

Southampton travel to Newcastle next Saturday 10 March (15:00 GMT), while Stoke have an extra two days to prepare for the visit of Premier League leaders Manchester City (20:00 GMT).