Southampton 0-5 Tottenham: James Maddison scores twice as Spurs demolish sorry Saints thanks to first-half blitz

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Unfortunately for Russell Martin the euphoria of promotion has long since faded, and his tenure as Southampton manager ended with the pain and discomfort of a 45-minute obliteration at the hands of Tottenham.

Martin claimed he was prepared to soldier on despite the five-goal thrashing and the calls from vocal Saints fans for him to go throughout the game.

'Sacked in the morning,' crowed his own team's supporters as the contest fizzled out and they held aloft a banner to hammer home their feelings.

In fact, Martin did not last until the morning. He was gone before he made it to bed, a statement published little more than an hour after the final whistle to say 'a difficult decision' had been taken.

'We knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top-flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world,' read the statement. 'However, the reality of our situation is clear.

'The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations. We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.'

Russell Martin, who had been jeered by some disgruntled Southampton fans, was sacked by the club after 18 months in the job

Tottenham demolished Southampton at St Mary's in the Premier League on Sunday night

The result left Southampton bottom of the Premier League, while it moved Spurs up to 10th

It went on to thank Martin and explain the club's Under-21s boss Simon Rusk would take interim charge ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup quarter final against Liverpool.

The enduring image of his final game at the helm will be that of him disappointing down the tunnel at the end of the first half, and missing the fifth goal, scored by James Maddison.

That seemed to encapsulate the mess, a team of players looking lost, picking the ball out of the net yet again to find their leader had given up, deserted them, and taken sanctuary in the dressing room.

Martin said he had made a mistake and thought the first half was finished. Regardless, he had probably seen enough. Probably heard enough too because the first-half capitulation was soundtracked by jeers and protest songs.

'It's not personal,' said Martin in his post-match press conference before his fate had been sealed. 'I don't know them, and they don't know me. It's a criticism of the job I'm doing, I understand that. It's part and parcel of football.'

Saints are rock bottom with only five points from their first 16 games. Martin led them back up via the play-offs but his refusal to amend his pure passing style already has them drifting back from whence they came.

No team in the Premier League era has survived from this perilous position so the change at the top is more likely to be about damage limitation than a rescue operation. The prospect of marinading for longer in such a toxic atmosphere was simply too much for those in the boardroom to bear.

To complete a surreal atmosphere inside St Mary's, the jubilant Spurs fans sang protest songs about chairman Daniel Levy as their goals flew in and brought a much-needed victory after only one in the previous eight games.

James Maddison scored two of Tottenham's goals, including one after just 36 seconds of play

Maddison celebrated his first goal of the match by performing his famous darts celebration

Spurs captain Son Heung-min scored Tottenham's second goal to make it 2-0 after 12 minutes

It was 3-0 in the 14th minute after Dejan Kulusevski found the net for the third game in a row

Maddison struck in just 38 seconds to soothe any tension. A delightful goal it was too, a passing move the length of the pitch featuring teenager Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence, making his first Spurs start after a wait of two-and-a-half years.

Spence's pass with the outside of his boot was finished with confidence. Southampton, so painfully delicate at the back, crumbled. Spurs feasted, probably unable to believe their luck.

Heung-min Son made it two after Maddison's cross had been flicked onto him at the back post by Saints defender Jan Bednarek, and Dejan Kulusevski made it three, tapping in after Son's cross to Dominic Solanke spilled kindly.

The game was less than a quarter of an hour old, Southampton were three down and Martin hooked forward Kamaldeen Sulemana to send on another central defender and change his formation to a back five. Sulemana was clearly upset, shaken by the humiliation.

Pape Matar Sarr scored Tottenham's fourth midway through the first half, jinking past substitute Nathan Wood before finding the net with his left foot, and Saints keeper Alex McCarthy made series of saves before he was beaten for the fifth time.

Maddison scored it, his second of the night, jinking past Wood in a tight area and clipping a neat finish past McCarthy's left shoulder from an acute angle.

Saints were booed off and booed back on again. They did improve, mustered a few efforts at goal and Mateus Fernandes had a goal ruled out for offside but the damage was done. Spurs coasted through the second half.

Who can blame them? They are in the middle of a gruelling schedule with the squad creaking under the weight of absences.

Goal No 4 on Sunday night was scored by Senegal international midfielder Pape Matar Sarr

Maddison was unable to complete his hat-trick after being substituted off in the 77th minute

A 5-0 win was Tottenham's biggest margin of victory under current boss Ange Postecoglou

'We knew might run out of gas at the end,' said Ange Postecoglou. 'We had to start strong and credit to the players because they did. I'm really proud of them. They played a tough fixture on Thursday and we had 10 first team players unavailable. We are spread so thin and asking the same players to dig into their wells of energy.

'The fact they played with such energy and quality is outstanding. I am really pleased.'

The Spurs boss could hardly have asked for more after demanding a response form his players. His senior players led the way, and his youngsters excelled.

There was a worrying thigh injury for Destiny Udogie, which Postecoglou could have done without but his night by the Solent was a whole lot more comfortable than it was for Saints boss Martin.