The Premier League’s unforgiving nature has seen many clubs succumb to relegation long before the final whistle of the season, with Southampton being the latest to fall with weeks to play.
Southampton became the latest to join this infamous list of quickest Premier League relegations, their demotion to the Championship sealed on April 6th after a 3-1 loss to Tottenham. With seven matches remaining, they set a new record for the earliest relegation in Premier League history by games left—surpassing past strugglers who at least held on a little longer.
A disastrous campaign saw them sack Russell Martin after just 16 games, only for replacement Ivan Jurić to fare no better. Now, they risk another humiliation: finishing with fewer than Derby County’s all-time low of 11 points.
🚨🏴 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Southampton have been RELEGATED from the Premier League! 👋❌
They are now the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with as many as seven matches still to play.
Southampton have just 10 points from 31 games this season. pic.twitter.com/qCwVNbJOaR
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 6, 2025
While Southampton’s relegation was the quickest in terms of remaining fixtures, others have been doomed just as early in the year:
Ipswich Town (1994-95) – 6 games left
Derby County (2007-08) – 6 games left
Huddersfield Town (2018-19) – 6 games left
Sheffield United (2020-21) – 6 games left
Derby (2007-08) – March 29th
Huddersfield (2018-19) – March 30th
Fulham (2018-19) – April 2nd
Leicester (2001-02) – April 6th (same day as Southampton)
Southampton’s fate was sealed by tactical stubbornness, managerial missteps, and a squad ill-equipped for top-flight survival. Now, they must avoid further embarrassment—starting with scraping together enough points to escape Derby’s shadow.
– Bournemouth (2019-20) ⬇️
– Sheffield United (2020-21) ⬇️
– Southampton (2024-25) ⬇️Aaron Ramsdale suffers his third relegation in Premier League football 😬
Only seven other players have been relegated more in the 33-year history of the league 📉 pic.twitter.com/MpnZ4rihHo
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 6, 2025
Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images