‘Sorry if we got your hopes up’ – Saints avoid unwanted record

Southampton fans have had precious few moments to be happy about this season as they slumped to a pitiful relegation a full fortnight before Easter.

But their class of 2025 have at least avoided becoming an addition to a pub quiz question after moving past Derby County’s record Premier League low total of 11 points.

Southampton may have been up against it at the end of the 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City but held on to move to 12 points for the season.

Just generationally poor, instead of all-timers.

Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, no stranger to a relegation, was quiet for most of the game as Pep Guardiola’s side failed to move out of first gear to worry him.

But as the clock ticked towards added time he was called into action, tipping away a header from Ruben Dias and then beaten by Omar Marmoush’s dipping strike which bounced off the crossbar.

Saints marked the draw with a message to Derby on social media, saying “Sorry if we got your hopes up”.

And Ramsdale added: “Not one person outside our dressing room thought we could do anything today and rightly so. People thought we would get zero points for the rest of the season, it was down to us.

“Everyone knows it’s been a difficult season for us. The sun was shining, Man City threw everything at us. That one was for the fans.

“We’re not happy at all with how the season has gone but we are definitely happy with the fact we have managed to avoid that record.

You can rely on the Premier League to bring you back to earth with a bump.

And speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606 phone-in after the game, Premier League winner Chris Sutton was not impressed with the Saints’ celebrations.

He said: “I don’t mind the fans celebrating because they haven’t had much to celebrate, but the players on the full-time whistle? That is embarrassing, celebrating being the second-worst Premier League team of all time with 12 measly points. How low is your bar?

“Is it something to celebrate being the second-worst team? Watching players punch the air and celebrate, that is embarrassing. It is absolute amateur hour.

Interim manager Simon Rusk – Saints’ third boss of a sorry campaign – lost his last game as a full-time manager 2-1 at home to Barnet.

It’s a long way from the National League to shutting out Erling Haaland and Co, and Rusk believes the point against Guardiola could stand the Saints in good stead back in the Championship.

They won at Wembley in the play-off final last season and will be among the favourites to return in another year – despite their frugal top-flight points tally.

Rusk said: “I understood the importance of that record, but we were focusing on performances, improvement and environment.

“We were fighting for an immense amount of pride.

“We wanted to make it clear that we were aspiring to finish the season as strong as possible. We delivered that.

“With seven games to go I was confident we could take care of this points issue and that’s what happened.

“On day one of this job I spoke about moments in football. We are not getting carried away, we know it’s been a difficult year but hopefully the supporters go home really happy.”