Southampton made Premier League history for all the wrong reasons, suffering the earliest relegation ever after a clinical Brennan Johnson brace guided Tottenham Hotspur to a dominant 3-1 win in North London.
The Welsh forward broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, finishing off a precise cut-back from Djed Spence. Just three minutes before the break, Johnson doubled his tally, capitalising on a clever header from James Maddison to flick in a second, further sinking Southampton’s hopes.
Mateus Fernandes pulled one back in the 90th minute, offering a glimmer of hope, but Spurs sealed Southampton’s fate when Mathys Tel converted a penalty in injury time.
The late strike confirmed the Saints as the first Premier League club to be relegated with seven games to spare, surpassing the previous record of six.
The atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was subdued as another pre-match protest against chairman Daniel Levy overshadowed the game.
Fans voiced their discontent with manager Ange Postecoglou after a dismal run of form that had left Spurs languishing just above the relegation zone.
However, Spurs began the game brightly, with Johnson and Lucas Bergvall linking up well, while Cristian Romero’s powerful header was brilliantly saved by Saints keeper Aaron Ramsdale from a corner.
Tottenham was nearly punished in the 17th minute when Kamaldeen Sulemana surged into the box, but his shot was deflected onto the post by Pedro Porro, ensuring the hosts’ advantage remained intact.
Spurs soon found their rhythm, with Johnson grabbing his 10th league goal of the season to give them a 1-0 lead.
Romero was denied again by Ramsdale, who kept Southampton in the game with a series of important saves. Bergvall thought he had doubled the lead when he bundled home Romero’s knock-down from a free-kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check.
Despite the setbacks, Spurs’ second came just before half-time when Johnson capitalised on a defensive lapse to fire past Ramsdale, sending the home crowd into raptures. Southampton responded after the break, dominating possession and pushing for a goal, which came in the final minute when Fernandes latched onto a cross from Sulemana, firing through the legs of Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Despite Ramsdale’s five saves, including key stops from Spence and Dominic Solanke, Southampton’s fate was sealed in the dying seconds when Johnson was fouled in the box by Welington. Tel stepped up to coolly dispatch the penalty, ensuring Southampton’s relegation was confirmed.
According to BBC, now firmly rooted to the bottom of the table with just 10 points, Southampton will need a miracle to avoid breaking Derby County’s record-low tally of 11 points set in the 2007-08 season.
