Southampton suffer earliest relegation in Premier League history

Southampton were relegated to the Championship on Sunday with seven matches still left to play in the Premier League season.

The Saints' descent, which was confirmed by Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, is the earliest in Premier League history. The previous record was jointly held by Ipswich Town (1994-95) and Derby County (2007-08), who dropped from the top flight with six matches to spare.

Another unwanted Derby record looms for Southampton. The Rams' points tally of 11 in the 2007-08 campaign is the lowest ever recorded in the Premier League, and Southampton are one point shy of that miserable total.

Will Southampton avoid unwanted record?

"We have to avoid that record, do our best. It cannot happen," Southampton manager Ivan Juric said after the Spurs defeat, according to BBC Sport.

Saints goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has now been relegated on three occasions. He suffered the same fate with Bournemouth (2019-20) and Sheffield United (2020-21) before his three-season spell with Arsenal.

"We want to get as many points as we can until the end of the season," Ramsdale said. "No one wants that record, and we will do what we can. But we will do what we can to get more points on the board."

Southampton were promoted to the Premier League 315 days ago. Manager Russell Martin was credited for his ambitious style of play in the Championship, but the team's approach proved to be a weakness in the tier above. Southampton repeatedly made costly errors as they tried to bypass the press and instigate attacks from defense. Mistakes drained confidence, and their dwindling confidence led to more mistakes.

Martin was sacked in December after one win in 16 Premier League games and was replaced by Juric. There's only been one league victory since.

Southampton offered little resistance and barely any attacking threat in north London. Brennan Johnson scored two first-half goals before Mateus Fernandes' 90th-minute strike and Spurs loanee Mathys Tel's successful penalty at the death belatedly stirred a sleepy second period.