Leicester City and Southampton: A Premier League Farewell to Forget
LEICESTER, England — As fans trickled into the King Power Stadium for Leicester City’s Premier League clash against Southampton, the security guard at the entrance couldn’t help but offer a cheeky remark. “Enjoy,” he said with a grin, “if you can!” It’s a line he’s likely repeated numerous times this season, given Leicester’s confirmed relegation to the EFL Championship and their dismal home scoring record.
Leicester, the surprise champions of 2016, faced Southampton having failed to score in their last nine home league games. Their last goal at home came in a 2-2 draw against Brighton on December 8. But if Leicester’s situation seemed dire, Southampton’s was even worse. They too were relegated after just one season back in the top flight and needed a point to avoid matching Derby County’s all-time low points tally of 11, set in the 2007-08 season.
Dubbed “El Crapico” by some fans on social media, this fixture was billed as potentially the worst Premier League game in history. A team that couldn’t score against a side that seemingly couldn’t do anything right. Yet, for Leicester, it turned out to be a rare day of joy. Jamie Vardy’s 17th-minute goal ended their 826-minute home goal drought, and Jordan Ayew made it 2-0 before halftime. Vardy, who will leave Leicester when his contract expires next month, described this season as a “s—show” but can at least aim for a personal milestone of 200 goals.
Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy commented, “If it’s 199, it won’t make him any less of a club legend, the guy who won the title here. But of course, he wants that round figure because I think it looks nice.”
Before the game, the stadium’s big screen optimistically reminded supporters to wave their flags when Leicester scored. Playing against Southampton, it seemed like a possibility. For the Saints, the misery continues. They now have just three games left – at home to Manchester City and Arsenal, and away to Everton – to earn the point needed to avoid joining Derby as the worst team in Premier League history.
Southampton supporters, clearly disillusioned, chanted “You’re not fit to wear the shirt!” as their team handed Leicester an easy 2-0 win. Yet, they also found humor in their plight, singing, “You’re nothing special, we lose every week!” as they contemplated a return to the Championship.
It was Southampton’s 28th defeat in 35 league games and Leicester’s fifth league victory, a match that felt like a surreal experience. It happened, but few seemed to care.
Derby’s Record Low Haunts Southampton
Derby’s 11-point mark has loomed over Southampton for months. They’ve only collected five points in 2025 and haven’t won since a 2-1 victory at Ipswich Town in February. They came close to reaching 12 points against Fulham last week but lost to a Ryan Sessegnon goal in stoppage time.
Southampton fan Steve Grant, host of the Total Saints podcast, told ESPN, “We had to get the point at Leicester. It was ‘Leicester or Bust’ because our final three games are against City, Arsenal, and Everton. The Everton game is their last-ever match at Goodison Park, so it’s hard to see us getting a point there. Although it would be funny if we somehow do it at Everton and they leave the Goodison pitch for the final time to a chorus of boos.”
Grant continued, “The reality now is that the Premier League has a stable 17 and three promoted clubs. The gulf between the league and the Championship is massive, and it’s no surprise the three promoted clubs have gone down for the second successive season.”
Even if Southampton ends up with 11 points, Grant believes that whoever comes up from the Championship via the playoffs this season will be contenders to get fewer than 11 points next year. This would be welcomed in Derby, whose 2007-08 humiliation still lingers.
Paul Jewell, who managed Derby during that infamous season, recalled, “I remember driving to Derby and I took a call from David Moyes on the way down. David asked what I was doing and I told him I was about to join Derby. He asked where I was and when I told him I was on the motorway, he said to turn around and go home because Everton had beaten them in October and he had told his staff that Derby wouldn’t win another game all season. I should have listened — he was right!”
Jewell added, “We lost a few early games by the odd goal and then drew 2-2 at Newcastle after conceding an 88th-minute equalizer. It became a trend. I could never tell the players that a win today would help us close a gap because the gap was already massive, so the rot had set in. That’s exactly what it will be like for Leicester and Southampton.”
Jewell concluded, “But do I want Southampton to end up on 11 points like Derby? Absolutely! Because somebody else will be able to take this phone call next season rather than me!”
Southampton spent £105 million on new signings last summer, including goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal and defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Manchester City, yet they have been marooned in the relegation zone all season.
Leicester, having lost promotion-winning manager Enzo Maresca to Chelsea, spent £78 million on reinforcements and hired Steve Cooper, the former Nottingham Forest manager, to replace Maresca. But Cooper was fired in November after just 15 games in charge, and replaced by Van Nistelrooy, who has managed just four wins in 24 matches.
Southampton, meanwhile, fired Russel Martin in December and replaced him with Ivan Juric, who lasted just 16 games – losing 13 and winning just two – before he was dismissed in April. Southampton’s Premier League malaise is deep-rooted, with their last six Premier League wins dating back to October 2022, achieved by five different managers: Juric, Martin, Ruben Selles, Nathan Jones, and Ralph Hasenhuttl. It will be a surprise if Rusk adds his name to that list this season.
Grant lamented, “Our problem is that we are stuck in a rut of being too good for the Championship, but too weak for the Premier League. It has been fairly tedious watching us this season, and I have not bothered with the games at the big clubs because you know how they will end up, but I’m still a fan who wants those big moments, so of course, I will want us to be promoted back to the Premier League next season.”
At Least Leicester Had Something to Cheer, for Once
Leicester and Southampton were both already doomed to relegation, but it was a good day for the Foxes. “The first goal at home in a long, long, long time and we were ready to break that cycle today,” Van Nistelrooy said. “It was a relief to go ahead. I can’t remember the last time we did that.”
He continued, “It [goal drought] weighed on all of us. Just look at the stat — eight games without scoring, it’s difficult. Nobody gives you any gifts in this game, but I’m pleased for the players that the run is broken.”
Van Nistelrooy declined to address his own future and whether he will still be in charge next season, but it is unlikely that he will survive after such a woeful run of results. The same applies to Rusk, who has stepped up from his role as under-21 coach to take interim charge of Southampton. He was taunted by chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” after replacing Mateus Fernandes in the second half and he gave an honest appraisal of the pressure he is under.
“I’m in a difficult situation,” Rusk told reporters. “This is tough for me, I was surprised by that [chanting]. It hurts. It’s a difficult situation. We were relegated with seven games to go and it’s not easy, but it’s important we stay glued together.”
He added, “We need the people who travel to support us. I understand their frustration, but we’re not good enough and we’re finding it hard. When confidence levels are low, it can look like people aren’t trying. But it can feel very lonely on the pitch and sometimes your legs can’t do what you want them to do and maybe that’s what happened today.”
So while Leicester and their supporters can celebrate a win and an end to their home goal drought, Southampton still need that one point to avoid ignominy – and their next opponents are Manchester City.
“The points thing is the points thing,” Rusk said. “Our draw at West Ham moved the first barrier [of getting fewer than 11 points], but we haven’t got something out of this game.”
“We just have to prepare for City now. We wanted something here to get past the points record, but we haven’t done it.”
Originally Written by: Mark Ogden
