Did former Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch's gaffe lead to Southampton's Premier League relegation?

Crouch has been accused by a fan of an error which cost the Blues’ rivals a crucial victory in 2005 and ultimately led to them going down by two points.

The 6ft 7in striker took on a shot in stoppage time against Everton which keeper Nigel Martyn easily saved, and led to the break which led to Marcus Bent scoring and levelling the game 2-2 at St Mary’s Stadium.

Southampton would go on to lose the Demolition Derby 4-1 at Fratton Park and the striker gave a clear riposte to the idea it was the key moment for Harry Redknapp’s side in the fight for survival.

Speaking in his Daily Mail column, Crouch said: ‘The first thing I would like to say is that game did not send us down!

‘We still had another three months and I scored a lot of goals on the run in as we fought to stay up but it wasn't to be. I don't think those two dropped points were entirely to blame.

‘Funnily enough, I was speaking to Jamie (Redknapp) about this recently.

‘He was so angry after the game that he had to go into another room before coming into getting changed. His Dad, Harry, was even more livid and it's fair to say they both let me know about it.

‘I had scored in the game and played well and when I skipped around two men, I really fancied my chances but the shot pea-rolled into Nigel Martyn's arms. It wasn't one of my finest hours but you live and learn.’