Tottenham Hotspur delivered a crushing blow to Southampton’s Premier League survival hopes with a dominant 5-0 victory at St Mary’s, leaving the Saints rooted to the bottom of the table.
It was another painful night for Russell Martin’s side, who have now lost five of their last six matches and remain winless in 13 of their 16 games since returning to the top flight this summer. They sit in 20th place, nine points adrift of safety.
Martin had urged fans in his matchday programme to “keep believing” in the team despite their struggles.
However, any optimism was swiftly extinguished as James Maddison fired Tottenham ahead just 36 seconds into the game, capitalizing on Djed Spence’s driving run through Southampton’s midfield.
It was the fastest Premier League goal Southampton had conceded since November 2013.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 12th minute when Heung-Min Son slotted past Aaron Ramsdale after a defensive error by Jan Bednarek.
Just two minutes later, Son turned provider, setting up Dejan Kulusevski to tap in from close range, further amplifying the home crowd’s discontent.
The atmosphere at St Mary’s turned hostile as Spurs’ fourth goal, scored by Pape Sarr following dismal defending, led to fans leaving the stadium in droves.
The goal, coming in the 25th minute, marked Tottenham’s earliest-ever four-goal lead in a Premier League match.
Martin exited the pitch before the halftime whistle, missing both the chorus of boos from the crowd and Maddison’s stunning second goal, struck from a near-impossible angle. The Saints’ woeful first half ended with little hope of a comeback.
The second half lacked the intensity of the first, with Spurs managing just one attempt on goal as key players Maddison, Son, and Dominic Solanke were substituted to rest ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.
Southampton, meanwhile, struggled to find a response. Tyler Dibling showed some promise, and Mateus Fernandes found the back of the net late on, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
The damage, however, had already been done, leaving the Saints without a silver lining to salvage.
Ramsdale Offers Support for Martin
Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale expressed his sympathy for Russell Martin while speaking to TNT Sports, “A difficult one. The early goal sucker-punched us and we just never recovered.
“Give the credit to Tottenham – James Maddison player of the match.
“Tonight’s a real difficult one for us to take.
“On Russell Martin: I feel very sorry for him. I think the lads are still trying for him. I don’t think there’s any question of anything on Russell Martin.
“The fans do deserve better and they’re sticking with us, and it’s one we have to move on very quickly ahead of Wednesday.”
