Southampton have been relegated from the Premier League after a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
A 25th loss of the campaign for Ivan Juric’s side condemns them to an immediate return to the Championship having been promoted out of the second tier last season.
The south-coast club have collected just 10 points from 31 games, and cannot overhaul Wolves with only 21 points left to play for and the 17th-placed club 22 points ahead.
A record low points tally is still possible, too, with Southampton needing two more points to surpass Derby County’s 11-point campaign in 2007-08, the lowest mark in Premier League history.
Southampton began the season with optimism that they could build on their promotion via the play-offs after catching the eye last season with an entertaining brand of football under Russell Martin.
But Martin’s methods appeared ill-suited to a Premier League relegation battle, while a busy summer of incomings did not necessarily dramatically improve his squad.
A 5-0 defeat to Spurs in December proved the former defender’s final game in charge, with Juric installed as Southampton sought a turnaround.
The Croatian has failed, though, to transform fortunes on the pitch, matching Martin in winning only once so far this season.
The two league successes so far came against Everton in November and at Ipswich in February, with Southampton currently possessing the top flight’s worst defensive record and having scored the fewest goals in the division.
No Premier League team has ever been relegated with more games to go in a season. Only that record-setting Derby side, Huddersfield and Fulham (both in 2018-19) have ever had their relegation confirmed earlier in the year in a Premier League season.
