Southampton Football Club’s fate was sealed today as they became the first team relegated from the Premier League in the 2024-25 season, marking the earliest relegation in the competition’s history. A 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday confirmed their descent to the Championship with seven matches still remaining in the season, surpassing the previous record held jointly by Ipswich Town (1994-95) and Derby County (2007-08), who were relegated after 32 games.
The Saints, who returned to the Premier League last season after winning the Championship playoff final, have endured a torrid campaign. With just 10 points from 31 matches, their relegation was mathematically confirmed when Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson scored twice and Mathys Tel added a penalty in a commanding victory for the hosts. The loss left Southampton 17 points adrift of safety, with a goal difference too vast to overcome, rendering their remaining fixtures a formality.
This unwanted milestone eclipses Derby County’s infamous 2007-08 season, when their relegation was confirmed on March 29, 2008, after 32 games, though with fewer matches remaining due to the 38-game season format. Southampton’s drop on April 6, in Matchweek 31, sets a new benchmark for futility in the Premier League era, which began in 1992. Historically, no team had been relegated with as many as seven games left to play, making this a particularly ignominious chapter in the club’s storied history.
Manager Ivan Juric, who took over earlier this season, had already conceded defeat in the survival battle following a recent loss to Wolves. “We will go down, but we want to go down with more fight, more dignity,” Juric said in a post-match interview last month. Today, however, there was little fight on display as Tottenham dismantled a dispirited Southampton side. The Saints’ defense crumbled under pressure, and their attack failed to register a single shot on target.
Southampton’s struggles this season have been stark. With 24 losses in 31 games, they have matched their total points haul with defeats, a statistic that underscores their inability to compete at the top level. Fans at St Mary’s Stadium and those traveling to London voiced their frustration, with many pointing to a lack of investment and poor recruitment as key factors in the club’s demise. The team’s nine consecutive home defeats earlier this season also tied an unwanted English top-flight record, a run that all but extinguished hope of a miraculous turnaround.
The previous earliest relegation by date was Derby County’s drop on March 29, 2008, a season in which they finished with a record-low 11 points—still one more than Southampton’s current tally. The Saints now face the additional challenge of avoiding that dubious points record, needing two more points from their final seven games to surpass Derby’s mark. “It’s embarrassing,” midfielder Joe Aribo said recently, echoing the sentiments of a fanbase desperate for pride amid the wreckage of this campaign.
Southampton’s relegation ends a brief return to the Premier League following their promotion in 2024. The club had spent 11 consecutive seasons in the top flight from 2012 to 2023 before their previous relegation, a stint that included a memorable run to the 2017 EFL Cup final and consistent mid-table finishes. This time, however, their stay lasted just one season, and their immediate focus will shift to rebuilding in the Championship.