Southampton set an unwanted record on Sunday as they became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with seven matches left to play.
A 3-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in north London confirmed Southampton’s fate. A first-half brace from Brennan Johnson and Mathys Tel’s first Premier League goal earned all three points for Ange Postecoglou’s men, while Mateus Fernandes scored for the visitors.
Ipswich Town and Derby County held the previous record for the earliest relegation in league history. They had their relegations confirmed with six matches remaining in 1994-95 and 2007-08, respectively.
“We knew it was probably going to be inevitable at some point, we haven’t been good enough all season,” Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale told Sky Sports. “We were dominated by the better team. We dug in in the second half but it is a sad day and one that this group of players will learn from.”
“We need wins, points, performances. It has to come to a point where the fans are happy and singing. Fair play to those [fans] who came today, have been at St. Mary’s and travelled around the country. We have to build some momentum going in to the Championship season.”
Southampton are also on course to finish the campaign with the lowest recorded points tally. The 2007-08 Derby team infamously finished with 11 points — one point more than Southampton have managed so far.
“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.”
It has been a miserable season for the south-coast club who attempted to change course when they fired manager Russell Martin in December.
The appointment of Ivan Juric failed to halt the club’s downward momentum, with the Croatian coach so far only picking up a single win in his 13 games in charge. Southampton have lost 11 games in that period.
Asked whether there had been any discussions over his future, Juric said: “No, now we will see everything. We are thinking just about the games now. We will see now what everyone thinks, what I think.
“The fans deserve much more and we have to understand all of the mistakes we have made and then create something really strong.”
Southampton host Aston Villa in their next Premier League fixture on April 12.
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