Southampton suffered the earliest-ever relegation in Premier League history when they lost 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, confirming their demotion to the second tier despite having seven games left in the season.
Southampton had needed a victory to stay alive in their fight for survival after 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers moved up to 32 points with Saturday's comeback win at Ipswich Town.
But the south-coast club have only 10 points after 31 games to sit rock bottom and 22 points from the safety zone.
Spurs took the lead through Brennan Johnson after Saints had a shot blocked at the other end and the Welsh winger doubled their advantage just before halftime with a neatly taken goal.
Southampton did not threaten the Spurs goal until the 90th minute when Mateus Fernandes halved the deficit but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished when they conceded a penalty and Mathys Tel converted the spot kick to seal the three points.
The result moved Spurs to 13th in the standings on 37 points, level with Manchester United who host Manchester City later on Sunday.
Tottenham vs Southampton latest news
- Johnson at the double as Tottenham win over Saints breaks record
- Spurs player ratings: Postecoglou handed new but welcome dilemma
- Tottenham fans stage second protest against Daniel Levy and club's ownership
- Postecoglou avoids Tottenham disaster but judgement day still to come
Good bye!
17:59 , Jonathan GorrieThanks for joining Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Tottenham’s win over Southampton.
Find our report and reaction below!
Postecoglou avoids Tottenham disaster but judgement day still to come
16:32 , Jonathan GorrieBrennan Johnson scored twice as Tottenham relegated Southampton with a 3-1 win in north London.
The Wales winger twice finished smartly in the first half but was denied the chance at a hat-trick after winning a 94th-minute penalty, with substitute Mathys Tel converting from the spot instead.
Mateus Fernandes' had halved the deficit for Saints with a 90th-minute strike after Spurs sat back for most of the second half, presumably to try to conserve energy for Thursday's crunch Europa League tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Tottenham fans stage second protest against Daniel Levy and club's ownership
16:18 , Jonathan GorrieTottenham supporters staged another protest against the club's ownership and Daniel Levy ahead of Sunday's home game against Southampton, with fans calling for the chairman to "get out of our club".
Hundreds of supporters marched to the ground in a demonstration organised by 'Change For Tottenham'. It was the second protest organised by the group after a similar march ahead of the home game against Manchester United in February.
Spurs player ratings: Postecoglou handed new but welcome dilemma
16:13 , Jonathan GorrieTottenham survived a late scare to beat Southampton 3-1 and relegate Ivan Juric's sorry side.
Brennan Johnson's first-half double put the hosts in control but Saints rallied after the break, and deservedly halved the deficit in the 90th-minute through Mateus Fernandes' strike.
There was still time for Johnson to be fouled by Welington in the box, earning a 94th-minute spot-kick, but the Wales winger was denied the chance at a hat-trick, with substitute Mathys Tel converting from the spot instead.
Here are our Spurs ratings from the game...
Johnson at the double as Tottenham win over Saints breaks record
16:03 , Jonathan GorrieBrennan Johnson’s brace saw Tottenham restore at least some order ahead of their Europa League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt, while inflicting the earliest-ever Premier League relegation on Southampton.
Mathys Tel scored a late penalty for Spurs, after Matheus Fernandes had pulled one back for the away side.
FT: Tottenham 3-1 Southampton
16:01 , Jonathan GorrieIt’s over! Johnson’s brace and Tel’s penalty send Southampton to the earliest-ever relegation in Premier League history, after 31 games.
GOAL! Tottenham 3-1 Southampton | Mathys Tel '95
15:59 , Jonathan Gorrie95 mins: GOAL!
Tel scores from the spot!
Tottenham 2-1 Southampton
15:58 , Jonathan Gorrie94 mins: Wellington brings down Johnson.
Tottenham 2-1 Southampton
15:57 , Jonathan Gorrie94 mins: PENALTY TO TOTTENHAM!
Tottenham 2-1 Southampton
15:55 , Jonathan Gorrie90 mins: FIVE MINUTES ADDED!
GOAL! Tottenham 2-1 Southampton | Mateus Fernandes '89
15:54 , Jonathan Gorrie89 mins: GOAL!
Mateus Fernandes pulls one back for Saints! They couldn’t, could they?
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:50 , Jonathan Gorrie88 mins: After very little to report on, Tel replaces Solanke.
Spurs are about to send Saints down.
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:41 , Jonathan Gorrie77 mins: Saints seeing most of the ball now but just don’t have the quality to trouble Vicario.
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:36 , Jonathan Gorrie72 mins: Spurs are now just conserving energy ahead of the Frankfurt game on Thursday.
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:31 , Jonathan Gorrie67 mins: Solanke all good to continue as Saints start to push on a bit.
Looks like too little, too late, however.
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:26 , Jonathan Gorrie63 mins: Solanke looks to be in a little bit of pain after a clash of knees.
A slight worry ahead of Thursday!
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:22 , Jonathan Gorrie57 mins: Sarr on Odobert on for Son and Bentancur. There are no calls from supporters this time!
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:14 , Jonathan Gorrie50 mins: Vicario claims a first Southampton corner of the game with ease.
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
15:09 , Jonathan GorrieBack underway!
HT: Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
14:54 , Jonathan Gorrie45 mins: Brennan Johnson at the double as Lucas Bergvall has goal ruled out.
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
14:46 , Jonathan Gorrie45 mins: Seven minutes added on in the first-half.
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Southampton | Brennan Johnson '41
14:44 , Jonathan Gorrie41 mins: GOAL!
Now Tottenham have their second! Johnson bags his brace with a lovely finish following Maddison’s flick-on.
Tottenham 1-0 Southampton
14:38 , Jonathan Gorrie38 mins: RULED OUT!
Spurs denied after Romero strayed offside.
Tottenham 2-0 Southampton
14:36 , Jonathan Gorrie35 mins: Oh hold on!
We’re off to VAR to judge whether or not Romero was offside.
The Spurs boss will love this.
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Southampton | Lucas Bergvall '34
14:36 , Jonathan Gorrie34 mins: GOAL!
Bergvall latches onto Romero’s knockdown following Maddison’s floated free-kick to bag his first Premier League goal!
Tottenham 1-0 Southampton
14:30 , Jonathan Gorrie28 mins: Ramsdale fine to continue and thereby keep taking some abuse from the home supporters, who are reminding him of his Arsenal exit.
Tottenham 1-0 Southampton
14:29 , Jonathan Gorrie26 mins: Another big save from Ramsdale to deny Romero but the goalkeeper is now down getting treatment.
Tottenham 1-0 Southampton
14:22 , Jonathan Gorrie21 mins: It’s wave after wave of Spurs attack. Saints looks the perfect team for them to play.
Tottenham 1-0 Southampton
14:20 , Jonathan Gorrie18 mins: Sorry Saints on course for the earliest relegation in Premier League history here.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Southampton | Brennan Johnson '13
14:16 , Jonathan Gorrie13 mins: GOAL!
Spurs have their breakthrough! Johnson latches onto Djed Spence’s pull back and fires into the roof of the net!
Tottenham 0-0 Southampton
14:12 , Jonathan Gorrie11 mins: Huge save from Ramsdale to deny Romero’s bullet header after Porro’s cross!
Tottenham 0-0 Southampton
14:10 , Jonathan Gorrie10 mins: First real big chance for Spurs as Manning blocks Johnson’s effort from close range!
Tottenham 0-0 Southampton
14:08 , Jonathan Gorrie08 mins: Decent enough defending from Saints here as Spurs look to try and exploit the space behind them.
Tottenham 0-0 Southampton
14:06 , Jonathan Gorrie06 mins: All Spurs in the opening stages but without really testing Ramsdale.
Tottenham vs Southampton
14:01 , Jonathan GorrieKICK-OFF!
Tottenham vs Southampton
13:44 , Jonathan GorrieSpurs fans protest against club’s ownership ahead of Southampton game
Ange Postecoglou admits 'mistake' against Chelsea as he responds to angry supporters
13:28 , Jonathan GorrieAnge Postecoglou says he made a mistake in celebrating Tottenham's disallowed equaliser in Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Chelsea and revealed he is "falling out of love" with football because of the impact of VAR.
Postecoglou cupped his ear at the travelling Spurs fans when substitute Pape Matar Sarr appeared to have levelled the derby in the 70th-minute, but the goal was disallowed on advice of the VAR for a foul by the Senegalese on Moises Caicedo.
Confirmed Southampton lineup
12:51 , Jonathan GorrieSouthampton XI: Ramsdale; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning; Ugochukwu, Aribo, Fernandes; Dibling, Archer, Kamaldeen
Subs: McCarthy, Bree, Sugawara, Stephens, Bella-Kotchap, Wellington, Smallbone, Stewart, Onuachu
Confirmed Tottenham lineup
12:51 , Jonathan GorrieTottenham XI: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Davies, Spence, Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Son
Subs: Kinsky, Udogie, Van de Ven, Odobert, Tel, Richarlison, Sarr, Bissouma, Gray
Ange Postecoglou has himself to blame as actions risk losing Tottenham fans previously focused on Daniel Levy
12:26 , Jonathan GorrieAn all-too-familiar result at Stamford Bridge on Thursday changed little for the outlook of Tottenham's season – they are still 14th in the table, still relying on the Europa League to salvage their miserable campaign – but Ange Postecoglou's clash with supporters was a significant moment.
Postecoglou has denied he was goading fans when he cupped his ear towards the away end after substitute Pape Matar Sarr, whose introduction for Lucas Bergvall was jeered by sections of the travelling fans, thought he had equalised in the 70th-minute – only for the goal to be ruled out on the advice of the VAR.
Tottenham vs Southampton: Head to head (h2h) history and results
12:07 , Jonathan GorrieTottenham wins: 46
Draw: 22
Southampton wins: 27
Ange Postecoglou in difficult position with little to gain as Tottenham look to avoid Southampton banana skin
11:44 , Jonathan GorrieTottenham's home game against Southampton on Sunday is a potential banana skin with no obvious upsides for Ange Postecoglou's struggling team.
Postecoglou has billed the game as a valuable chance for Spurs to build momentum ahead of the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday -- on which their season and probably his job depend -- but, Saints are such a sorry outfit that even thrashing them is unlikely to significantly change the mood music in north London.
Read Dan Kilpatrick’s full preview here!
Tottenham vs Southampton: Why isn't Premier League game live on TV in UK today?
11:33 , Jonathan GorrieThe game is being played at 2pm BST on Sunday, so does not fall within the blackout rules imposed across English football on a Saturday at 3pm.
But it has not been selected for live coverage by Sky Sports, who are instead showing Fulham vs Liverpool followed by Manchester United vs Manchester City at Old Trafford.
Tottenham vs Southampton: Premier League score prediction today
11:31 , Jonathan GorrieIt can be tricky to bet on Spurs this season as their results have been somewhat unpredictable (see January’s 2-1 loss to Leicester), but it is near impossible to justify putting any money behind Southampton.
The squad will recognize the now-or-never nature of the game. Ahead of next week’s season-defining Europa League tie, there could be no better preparation than a straightforward, confidence-boosting league win. Southampton should not pose too much of a threat to the Lilywhites.
Prediction: Tottenham 4-0 Southampton.
Southampton team news vs Tottenham today
11:31 , Jonathan GorrieIvan Juric has not had an easy time since replacing Russell Martin at Southampton, though injuries have not been too big an issue. He has just one player out for Sunday as Will Smallbone recovers from a groin injury.
Midfielder Flynn Downes will miss out as he serves a two-match suspension. He picked up a tenth booking of the season in last week’s home draw to Crystal Palace.
Tottenham team news vs Southampton today
11:30 , Jonathan GorrieAnge Postecoglou is expected to make changes against Southampton ahead of Tottenham’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.
Micky van de Ven, Heung-min Son and James Maddison are likely to be rested and Djed Spence could also be saved for Frankfurt after a recent bout of illness.
Pedro Porro, who was given a rare rest for the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea, is likely to return to the side at right-back, while Ben Davies could deputise for Van de Ven at centre-half.
Yves Bissouma has been replaced at half-time in three of his last five starts, so Lucas Bergvall, who only played an hour against the Blues, may continue at No6, with Pape Matar Sarr also likely to start.
Son could be replaced by Brennan Johnson or Mathys Tel in the front three, although Mikey Moore is also pushing for minutes and Richarlison is set to return to the squad after a muscle injury.
Postecoglou remains without Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Kevin Danso (hamstring) and Radu Dragusin (knee) but said he had no fresh injury concerns after a 16th defeat of the league season at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
Asked if he would rotate at Saints, who Spurs beat 5-0 at St. Mary's in December, Postecoglou said: "To a certain extent, we are a little bit beyond that as the group is in a decent place physically where I don’t have to get players gametime.
"As I said, it is about getting some momentum leading into the game on Thursday. We will make a couple of changes but we won’t make too many."
Tottenham vs Southampton: TV channel and live stream for Premier League today
11:30 , Jonathan GorrieTV channel: In the UK, the game is not due to be televised live.
Live stream: Fans can follow radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick at the ground.
Free highlights: The Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights post-match, with Match of the Day 2 broadcasting on BBC One at 10:30pm.
Welcome
11:16 , Jonathan GorrieGood morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Tottenham’s Premier League clash against Southampton.
Kick-off from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is at 2pm BST.
