Southampton saw their tenure in the Premier League come to an early end following a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The Saints returned to the Championship with seven matches remaining, setting an unwanted record for the earliest demotion in Premier League history.
Brennan Johnson netted two first half goals for Spurs, which set the tone of the match and dampened the Saints’ hopes of clinging on to the premier division just a little bit longer.
A draw would have seen the club survive for at least one more gameweek, but only mathematically. Even before the loss, as early as February, data suppliers Opta gave Southampton a 99.9% chance of going down.
Southampton boss Ivan Juric said that his side’s goal is now to “not be the worst team”.
The club still need at least two more points to avoid claiming the title of the worst team in Premier League history. The record, currently held by Derby County, stands at 11 points in an entire season. The Saints currently have ten points with seven games left to play.
