MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool fell to a shock defeat on its march to the Premier League title after a 3-2 loss at Fulham on Sunday.
At the other end of the standings, Southampton became the first team to be relegated from England’s top flight this season after a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham.
Liverpool’s loss meant it missed the chance to move 14 points clear of second-placed Arsenal and a step closer to a record-extending 20th English league title. A stunning first-half fightback from Fulham at Craven Cottage saw Arne Slot’s team lose for only the second time in the league this term.
Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday had given Liverpool an unexpected boost in the race for the title, but despite going ahead through Alexis Mac Allister’s goal in the 14th minute, the visitors were 3-1 down at halftime.
Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz all found the back of the net in a thrilling 14-minute spell. Luis Diaz got Liverpool’s second after the break.
Liverpool remains 11 points ahead of Arsenal and on course to win the title with seven games remaining. It needs 11 more points to be assured of being crowned champion.
Southampton relegated
With just 10 points from 31 games, last-placed Southampton’s fate was sealed with defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Its relegation is the joint fourth earliest in the Premier League era, according to the league’s statistician Opta.
Derby’s drop on March 29 in 2008 is still the earliest relegation since the league began in 1992. Huddersfield and Fulham suffered earlier relegations than Southampton, which is now joint with Leicester in 2002.
According to Opta, Southampton is the first Premier League team to be relegated with seven or more games to play in the campaign.
Two first-half goals from Brennan Johnson put Ivan Juric’s team on course for a 25th league defeat of the season. Mateus Fernandes pulled one back late on for the visitors before Mathys Tel struck a third for Spurs from the penalty spot in added time.
Manchester United was playing Manchester City later, while Brentford and Chelsea drew 0-0.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Robson, The Associated Press
