It may be that Southampton pick up the two points they need to surpass Derby’s 2007-08 tally of 11 so as not to be ranked the worst team in Premier League history, but no side has ever previously been relegated with seven games of the season remaining. In that sense, and that alone, this was a historic afternoon, a new high in abjection. A facile win, though, did not bring a huge amount of joy for Tottenham.
It’s remarkable just how bad a team in Southampton’s position can become, how beaten-down players become unable to perform even the simplest functions. Like their 5-0 win at St Mary’s in December, the game that led to Russell Martin being dismissed, there was a sense that it was almost too straightforward to be meaningful. Yes, the knife cut through the butter; that doesn’t make it a good knife.
