PRETTY (AWFUL) IN PINK

Shocking Saints relegated after crashing to 25th defeat of season... and face becoming worst Prem team ever

- ALAN SMITH

DOWN and out with barely a whimper in record time.

And the sad news for Southampton's loyal fans, who continued to applaud their players long after their fate was sealed, was that this miserable campaign still has plenty left to run.

Attention now turns to finding the two points required to ensure they do not become the Premier League's worst-ever team. And with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal among their remaining seven opponents, achieving a draw to tie with Derby County's infamous class of 2008 appears no sure thing.

This latest defeat, a 25th in 31 games, appeared inevitable once Brennan Johnson scored the first of a pair after 12 minutes.

Saints, the first side to go down with seven games still to play, were toothless in attack, devoid of intensity in midfield and sloppy at the back - common themes throughout their season.