Southampton endured another heavy Premier League defeat, this time a 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham at St Mary’s, as the bottom club’s struggles continued. The Saints were booed off the pitch after suffering their fifth loss in the last six matches, leaving them stuck in 20th place, already nine points adrift of safety.
Manager Russell Martin had urged fans to “keep believing” despite the club’s difficult position, but his words quickly lost any effect as the team were torn apart. Tottenham wasted no time taking control of the game, with James Maddison scoring just 36 seconds in after Djed Spence surged forward and set him up. This was the quickest Southampton had conceded in the Premier League since November 2013.
By the 14th minute, it was 2-0, as Heung-Min Son slotted home after a poor header from Jan Bednarek. Moments later, Son turned provider for Dejan Kulusevski, who tapped in a third. The Saints’ defensive frailties were exposed again, and fans’ frustrations began to boil over, directing anger towards Martin and his players.
The situation grew worse as Pape Sarr made it 4-0 in the 25th minute, thanks to more dreadful defending. This prompted a mass exodus from St Mary’s, marking the earliest point in Premier League history that Tottenham had led by four goals. Martin, unable to stem the tide, walked off down the tunnel before halftime, missing both the boos that greeted the whistle and Maddison’s second goal from a tight angle.
The second half was largely uneventful, as Spurs eased off with one eye on their upcoming Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, managing only one shot on target after the break. Southampton did show some fight, with Tyler Dibling looking their most dangerous, but their efforts were in vain. Mateus Fernandes’ late header was ruled offside, and the home side could do nothing to diminish Tottenham’s dominance. The result left Southampton with little to show and their survival hopes looking increasingly bleak.
