The Premier League is celebrated as a worldwide success, with high quality players and coaches. However, some teams are simply out of their depth when it comes to the English top-flight and are relegated to the second tier.
Which teams were relegated after the fewest games?
Southampton (Season 2024/25 relegated after 31 Premier League games 6th April)
The Saints have expected a nightmare campaign back in the English top-flight after promotion from the Championship last season. On April 6th 2025, the south coast team suffered a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, which consigned them to relegation after just 31 top-flight games.
Southampton have picked up just ten points in the 2024/25 campaign. The team from the south coast still need a point to match Derby’s lowest point tally of just 11, which was in season 2007/08. Everybody connected with the club will be keen to avoid that particular fate.
Derby County (Season 2007/08 relegated after 32 Premier League games on 29th March)
Talking about Derby, the Rams were relegated on 29th March 2008 after 32 games. Not only did County finish with the lowest points tally of any club in the Premier League era, they also claimed just one league victory all season, which is also a record.
A lack of goals was a big issue, as the team from Midlands scored a joint fewest 20 goals in a Premier League season.
Huddersfield Town (Season 2018/19 relegated after 32 Premier League games on 30th March)
The 2018/19 season was a woeful one for Huddersfield Town. The Terriers had beaten the drop the previous season despite struggling to find the net. In the following campaign, they were not so lucky.
Town suffered relegation after 32 Premier League games on 30th March 2019. The season went so badly that everybody connected with the Yorkshire club even celebrated beating Derby points tally, although picking up just 16 points in a Premier League campaign is not much to shout about.
Town’s goal tally for the campaign was just two more than Derby’s now infamously poor campaign in season 2007/08.
Sheffield United (Season 2020/21 relegated after 32 Premier League games on 17th April)
The Blades were something of a surprise struggler in season 2020/21, as the previous campaign United had finished in seventh-place.
Somehow the Yorkshire side collapsed in the 2020/21 campaign, and finished bottom of the table, having garnered just 23 points. Their fate was sealed after just 32 games of the season on 17th April 2021.
The Blades had not been prolific the previous season, but the goals really dried up in the 2020/21 campaign, as they equalled Derby’s lowest ever tally of 20 goals in a Premier League season.
Fulham (Season 2018/19 relegated after 33 Premier League games on 2nd April)
The Cottagers didn’t enjoy the best return to the English top-flight after a four-year absence. In fact, the south west London club finished 19th place in the table, with only that infamous Huddersfield Town team below them.
Fulham finished the campaign with just 26 points, but their fate was sealed well before the end of the season, as they suffered relegation after just 33 games of the Premier League season on 2nd April 2019.
The team from the capital’s main issue was the sheer volume of goals that they conceded, as they let in an incredible 84 goals during the campaign.
Portsmouth (Season 2009/10 relegated after 33 Premier League games on 10th April)
Pompey had a relatively successful spell in the 2000s, but it all went up in spectacular fashion in the 2009/10 season when the team from the south coast collapsed and were relegated to the Championship.
They finished bottom of the table, having collected just 19 points, and their status was confirmed after 33 Premier League outings on 10th April 2010.
Sunderland (Season 2002/03 relegated after 33 Premier League games on 12th April)
The Black Cats had a near relegation experience in the previous campaign. However, they used all their nine lives in season 2001/02 when they finished bottom of the table and suffered relegation to the Championship.
The team from the north east went through three different bosses during the campaign. They started the campaign with Peter Reid, before both Howard Wilkinson and Mick McCarthy tried and failed to turn things around at the Stadium of Light.
The team was relegated on 12th April 2003, having picked up just 19 points, having recorded just four wins all season. The Black Cats’ lack of firepower was one of their main issues, as they scored just 21 goals in the campaign.
Sunderland (Season 2005/06 relegated after Premier League 33 games on 14th April)
The north east clubs second entry on our list was from season 2005/06 when they were relegated after 33 Premier League games once again on 14th April. Mick McCarthy who had suffered relegation with the Black Cats in 2003 was still in charge, having also guided them back to the English top-flight.
By the time the team suffered relegation on April 14th, McCarthy had left the club, with club stalwart Kevin Ball ending the season as caretaker. They had picked up just 15 points, having recorded only three wins all season.