In a historic low in the Premier League, Southampton have been relegated with a record-setting seven games still remaining — the earliest any club has ever gone down. The Saints have endured a disastrous season, collecting just 10 points from 31 matches, with only two wins and four draws to their name. Their fate was sealed following a dominant performance by Tottenham Hotspur, where a brace from Brennan Johnson secured a comfortable win in North London.
The severity of Southampton's decline is staggering. Much like Spurs’ emphatic 5-0 win at St Mary’s back in December, a result that led to Russell Martin’s sacking. This latest match felt so one-sided it barely seemed competitive. Now, with relegation confirmed, the focus shifts to avoiding another unwanted record: finishing with the fewest points in Premier League history. Southampton currently trail Derby County’s infamous 11-point total from the 2007-08 season, and they have just seven games left to pick up at least two more points and avoid further ignominy.
Entire picture of how Southampton faced early relegation
Tottenham’s opening goal was a smooth attacking play — four crisp passes finished in Djed Spence delivering a precise cross for Brennan Johnson to finish. However, it’s doubtful such a smooth sequence would go unchallenged against more resolute opposition. Johnson struck again just before halftime, capitalizing on a defensive lapse as two Southampton players played him onside. His first goal came in the 13th minute, finishing off another Spence cut-back, and his second followed after he latched onto a clever header from James Maddison over the back line.
Mateus Fernandes pulled one back in the 90th minute, firing between Guglielmo Vicario’s legs after meeting Sulemana’s cross — a deserved consolation for a Southampton side that showed marked improvement in the second half, dominating possession. However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Mathys Tel converted a stoppage-time penalty to score his first Premier League goal for Spurs, sealing Southampton’s fate as the first club officially relegated this season.
Ramsdale made five saves, including excellent ones from Spence and Dominic Solanke, to put the hosts at bay, but Tel's penalty, following a foul by Welington on Johnson, sealed Southampton's fate and guaranteed an immediate return to the Championship.
