Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani has apologised to the club’s fans following relegation from the Premier League.

In a personal statement posted on Twitter, Radrizzani admitted the board of directors had made mistakes and hoped to make some “key appointments in different areas of the club”.

But the 48-year-old Italian, who is part of a consortium that has completed a takeover of Sampdoria, made no mention of a possible change of ownership at Leeds.

Radrizzani said: “The last few days have been very difficult for everyone associated with Leeds United.

“I find it very hard to find the right words to say, other than to apologise to all of our fans for the club’s relegation. I am sincerely sorry for how this season has unfolded.

“We have made significant investments to try to keep Leeds United in the Premier League, but in working hard to improve the club, we have also obviously made some mistakes.

“We are reflecting on the decisions that we have taken to ensure we learn the lessons to improve our club and make progress in the future.

“Leeds supporters deserve more than this. You understand the journey on which we have embarked, and I hope that once the anger and disappointment has subsided you will see that we can come back stronger.”

Radrizzani’s company Aser Group, in partnership with finance company Gestio Capital, announced on Tuesday night that they had concluded a deal to save financially-stricken Sampdoria, recently relegated to Serie B.

It had been expected that that deal would lead to Radrizzani selling his 56 per cent stake in Leeds to American co-owners 49ers Enterprises.

The financial arm of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers increased its stake in Leeds to 44 per cent at the end of 2021 with a deal in place to buy Radrizzani’s stake and take full control before January 2024.

But that deal was contingent on Leeds remaining in the Premier League and it would appear Radrizzani is now intent on leading them back to the top flight.

“We have invested heavily in Leeds United since 2017 and worked hard to get back to where the club deserves to be,” he added.

“With the support of our partners, we can continue that journey to bounce back.

“I am proud of the progress we have made in recent years. We have become a club that can attract exciting players, we are strong commercially, we have seen improvements to the academy, introduced a women’s side and so much more.

“In many ways the club has been transformed and we are committed and determined to continue on this journey.

“I do not like to make false promises, there is still a lot of work to do and change is needed.

“We need a clear strategy to continue our vision for the club and work is underway to produce this, which we hope will be reflected in some key appointments in different areas of the club. We will keep you all updated throughout the process.”

Leeds’ three-year stay in the Premier League ended last Sunday when they lost 4-1 at home to Tottenham.

The Yorkshire club have employed three managers during a disastrous campaign, sacking Jesse Marsch in February and then Javi Gracia earlier this month before appointing Sam Allardyce for the last four games.

Espanyol were relegated from LaLiga after a dramatic draw with fellow strugglers Valencia on Sunday.

Luis Garcia's side will not be playing top-flight football next term after Samuel Lino's 93rd-minute goal snatched a 2-2 draw for Valencia, sending Espanyol down.

The White and Blues will join already relegated Elche in dropping down to the Segunda Division, while a host of other teams, including Real Valladolid, Celta Vigo, Almeria and Valencia, remain in danger.

Valladolid are in 18th place with one game remaining, one point behind Celta and Almeria, and two points adrift of Valencia, Getafe and Cadiz in a congested battle for survival.

Dean Smith says Leicester have the capability to bounce straight back to the Premier League after they were relegated on Sunday.

The Foxes became just the second former champions to drop out of the division, joining Blackburn in 1999, as their 2-1 final-day win against West Ham was not enough to keep them in the division due to Everton’s victory over Bournemouth.

They went 2-0 up thanks to goals from Harvey Barnes and Wout Faes, with Pablo Fornals pulling one back for the Hammers, but it counted for nothing.

Relegation represents a huge fall from grace as that remarkable 5000-1 title came in 2016 and they have enjoyed much more recent success as they won the FA Cup in 2021 under Brendan Rodgers, who also delivered back-to-back fifth-placed finishes.

It will be the Championship next season, though Smith, who replaced Rodgers on a short-term SOS mission last month, reckons it could be a short stay in the second tier.

He said: “The raw materials this club has is an elite club. It feels raw now and it hurts and everybody will be devastated but with the infrastructure it has got it can bounce back.

“That is what happens. There has been plenty of times where you have knocks and your job is to bounce back and make sure you improve on the things that let you down and I have no doubt the club will.

“I think it has to (reset). Any club that gets relegated, they have to find a way to bounce back. There are plenty of knocks in football, it is, we all know that week in, week out,about how you bounce back.

“From what I have seen with the infrastructure I see no reason why it can’t bounce straight back.”

It remains to be seen whether Smith will lead that charge next season as his future remains in the air.

His eight-game remit has now ended, but he has experience of winning promotion in the Championship with Aston Villa.

Smith says he has not yet thought about his long-term future but will speak to chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha in a few days.

“Seven weeks, eight games, we didn’t speak about anything beyond that. I will speak to Top, who I have an awful lot of respect for, over the next couple of days and commiserate with him because the time and effort he puts into this football club is there for all to see.

“I am certainly not thinking about my future at the moment. It is raw getting relegated now, I’ll go away and reflect on it, speak to John (Rudkin) and Top. It’s a hypothetical question at the moment.”

Defeat ended a disappointing Premier League season for West Ham where they finished 14th, six points above the drop zone.

But boss David Moyes admitted his mind has been on the forthcoming Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague.

“It’s been on it for a long time, but what would you expect? Getting to European finals don’t come around too often. It’s been 47 years for West Ham.

“We’ve got to the final, we started back in August now going into June to the final and to try and have a good Premier League season and keep the competition going, it takes a big effort and it was a big effort to retain Premier League status and to ensure we keep winning in the cup.

“We wanted a draw because that would have got us one place higher in the league which might not mean much but it does to us, we were desperate to get there.

“We’ve got nothing to celebrate but playing against a team who has been relegated shows how devastating it can be.”

Leicester became just the second former Premier League champions to be relegated despite a 2-1 home victory over West Ham on the final day of the season.

The Foxes, who won the title seven years ago, needed to win and hope that Everton did not get three points in their clash at home to Bournemouth.

And for a large part of the afternoon that looked like playing out as they went ahead through Harvey Barnes and Wes Faes before the crushing news of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal for Everton came through.

And with the Toffees hanging on at Goodison Park it condemned Leicester to the drop which represents a huge fall from grace, joining Blackburn as the only teams to lift the Premier League trophy and then be relegated.

That remarkable 5000-1 title came in 2016 but they have enjoyed much more recent success as they won the FA Cup in 2021 under Brendan Rodgers, who also delivered back-to-back fifth-placed finishes.

Rodgers was fired at the start of April in a bid to beat relegation, with former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith parachuted in on an eight-game SOS mission.

But they ultimately fell just short and Smith will surely now depart as the Foxes prepare for life back in the Championship for the first time since 2014.

West Ham, who made a game of it in the second half through Pablo Fornals’ strike, were already safe and a disappointing league season sees them finish 14th – six points clear of the drop – but their attention is firmly on the forthcoming Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina.

Given the nature of their predicament it was essential for Leicester to start well and buoyed on by a loud home support, they began with impetus.

But the visitors began to get into the game and they enjoyed the better chances in the opening 20 minutes.

There was plenty of space for them to counter-attack and Michail Antonio forced Daniel Iversen into a  parried save after taking up a good position and then Fornals miscued his shot when he had more time than he thought after being played in by Vladimir Coufal.

Leicester needed to re-ignite the crowd and they did that in the 28th minute when they came within inches of going in front.

Iheanacho did well to keep Barnes’ overhit cross in, then he played a one-two with James Maddison before firing an effort that clipped the top of the crossbar.

That raised the volume levels and the roof came off the King Power Stadium five minutes later when Barnes did open the scoring.

He played a lovely give-and-go with Iheanacho, held off the challenge of Flynn Downes and then coolly stroked the ball into the bottom corner.

With Everton still drawing against Bournemouth the goal moved Leicester out of the bottom three and they surged forward for another, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall firing over and James Maddison curling wide.

Leicester were unable to recapture that spark in the second half and the atmosphere soured when news of Everton’s goal at Goodison Park was kindly delivered by goading West Ham fans.

It almost got even worse for them as a slick move saw Said Benrahma glide into the area but his shot struck the base of the post and the Foxes survived.

They knew that one goal on Merseyside would change things and were able to consolidate their own lead when Faes climbed highest from Maddison’s free-kick.

West Ham, whose fans were basking in their opponents’ misery and their own imminent trip to Prague, should have got one back midway through the second half when Jarrod Bowen, whose shot had been saved by Iversen, teed up Danny Ings, but the substitute embarrassingly skied over.

The Hammers did get on the scoresheet with 12 minutes remaining as Fornals surged into the area and struck home.

Leicester were able to see it out but the news they desperately craved from Goodison Park never came and a disappointing season ended in the worst possible way.

Captain James Ward-Prowse has “full confidence” Southampton can make a swift return to the Premier League following the pain of relegation.

Saints’ fate was sealed by Saturday’s listless 2-0 defeat to Fulham – a club-record 24th league loss in a single season.

England midfielder Ward-Prowse has been with Southampton since the age of eight but is already being linked with a summer move away from St Mary’s.

The 28-year-old, who insists he is “not thinking too far ahead” regarding his own future, is optimistic Saints will bounce back from surrendering the top-flight status they have held since 2012.

“(I’ve) full confidence, I think the club’s been there and done it,” he told Southampton’s website.

“The squad that we’ve got now is incredibly young and they’ve got a lot to learn.

“They will have learnt a lot from this year and next year I’m sure the club will be doing everything they can to be back in the Premier League.”

Southampton were precariously placed for much of a miserable campaign, having continually occupied the bottom three since early November.

Second-half goals from Fulham pair Carlos Vinicius and Aleksandar Mitrovic condemned Ruben Selles’ side to the drop with two games to spare.

Spaniard Selles was the team’s third manager this term following the sackings of Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones.

Ward-Prowse concedes warning signs were present for a long time and admits Saints ultimately went down to the Sky Bet Championship with a whimper.

“It’s something, in all honesty, we’ve been fearing for a little while,” he said.

“Over the last couple of years we’ve not been performing at the level I believe we should be and I think this season’s caught up with us.

“There’s a way to lose games, there’s a way to maybe fail in sport and I think the way we’ve done it this year, that’s the disappointing way.

“I don’t feel we’ve really gone down with a fight and given everything we can.

“I feel for the fans because they don’t deserve to see what we’ve produced this season and that’s the sad thing.”

Victory for Fulham was a club-record 15th in a Premier League season to tighten their grip on a top-half spot.

Winger Harry Wilson, who was involved in each of the Cottagers’ goals on the south coast, hopes to increase the impressive points haul of 51 going into a home game against Crystal Palace and a trip to Manchester United.

“It’s not something I was aware of but it’s something we’ve earned throughout the season,” he said of the record.

“We’ve shown that we can win different ways, so to get 15 wins and the record is great.

“We’ll definitely enjoy them (the final two games) but we also know there’s a lot to play for and we want to make sure we get two wins.”

Substitute Mitrovic returned from his eight-match ban with a bang by heading home seven minutes after replacing fellow goalscorer Vinicius.

The Serbia striker was punished for grabbing referee Chris Kavanagh during his side’s 3-1 FA Cup loss at Old Trafford in March.

Wilson is already eyeing revenge against United on the final weekend following the heated cup exit in which Mitrovic, Willian and manager Marco Silva were sent off.

“We were really good for 70 minutes and we all know what happened,” he said of that game.

“We feel like we kind of owe them one in a way because we felt on that day we maybe should have left with something.”

Southampton boss Ruben Selles does not know what the future holds after a 4-3 defeat at Nottingham Forest left them on the brink of Premier League relegation.

Saints were on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller at the City Ground and they will lose their top-tier status at the weekend if they fail to beat Fulham or results go against them elsewhere.

In contrast, Forest climbed out of the bottom three with a vital win which came courtesy of Taiwo Awoniyi’s brace, Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty and Danilo’s brilliant team goal to give realistic hope that they can avoid the drop in their first season back in the top tier for 23 years.

Carlos Alcaraz, Lyanco and James Ward-Prowse goals ensured the Saints were always in the game, but they are now staring the drop to the Championship in the face.

Selles, who took over from Nathan Jones on a deal until the end of the season, would like to stay at the club, but says that is not for him to decide.

“I try to do my best and as I said before I expected to win more football matches,” he said.

“It’s a decision that the club needs to make. I would be happy to be here for the next 10 years as I have said many times.

“But it is not for me to make that decision. I can only work every day and of course, in the situation we are in right now, it’s so much uncertainty for everybody.

“We just need to handle it in the best way possible, whatever happens, and then continue facing forward whatever it is.

“And if it is facing forward – if it’s together then it’s better.

“The club will present an agenda for the coming days or weeks on how it is going to deal with that if it happens. That is for the club to respond.

“I can tell you what we are going to do for the next weeks, we are going to just keep working as much as we can and keep the situations for the future for the people that need to be responsible for that.”

Forest took full advantage of defeats for Leeds and Leicester to move up to 16th, three points above the drop zone with three games to play.

Boss Steve Cooper says the fight against the drop is not over, but that this could be a huge moment.

“We feel like we are playing OK and we have won two games in three,” he said. “You always want consecutive wins and where we are that is not easy to do, so to win two in three is a real positive thing.

“It just gives us a little bit more confidence and momentum to just go into the next one. For sure we are going to need more points and more positive results.

“It is a massive win tonight and an important one, but it will be even bigger if we build on it.

“That has to be the plan from now. We will start the cycle of putting one game to bed and preparing for the next one.

“No days off and the work ethic has to be at its maximum in giving the players everything they need to be ready for the next game.”

Leicester boss Dean Smith knows that his side’s superior goal difference could be key in the Premier League relegation battle.

The Foxes are level on points with both Nottingham Forest and Leeds going into this weekend’s round of fixtures, but lie in 16th owing to their better record.

In a six-team tussle to stay up, which also includes Southampton, Everton and West Ham, Smith knows how crucial it could be.

“We can only take one game at a time and see where that leaves us, the draw against Everton we would like to have had a win and so would Everton, but it moved us up the table two places such is our goal difference,” Smith said ahead of Monday’s visit to Fulham.

“It probably gives us a head start on the rest of the teams down there. But we have to have a better performance than we did Monday defensively and if we do that we can go and get a result.”

The Foxes are currently on a run of playing on three successive Mondays, which has left Smith, who is on a short-term SOS mission to keep the Foxes up, playing catch-up.

“I am not enjoying the weekends because all I am doing is coaching and watching the results come in,” he said. “I would much rather be playing ourselves and watching other results after that.

“It’s all consuming, but we knew it would be, seven weeks, eight games, but we are really enjoying it and we believe we are getting a response from the players.”

New Leeds manager Sam Allardyce accepts he is taking over a club “in a lot trouble” – but remains hopeful of making an impact in the fight for Premier League survival.

Having already removed director of football Victor Orta, the Yorkshire club announced the departure of Javi Gracia on Wednesday morning along with his backroom staff.

Allardyce, 68, becomes Leeds’ third permanent manager of the season, with Gracia having replaced Jesse Marsch in February.

The former Bolton, Newcastle, West Ham and England boss has been out of work since the end of the 2020-21 season after failing to save West Brom from top-flight relegation.

It was the first time Allardyce had been relegated from the Premier League in his 30-year managerial career and he left The Hawthorns six months into an 18-month contract.

Allardyce, who also had spells in charge of Newcastle, Blackburn, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton, is hoping for an immediate response from a demoralised Leeds squad who are languishing in 17th place, out of the relegation zone only on goal difference.

“I know it (Leeds) is in a lot of trouble,” Allardyce told talkSPORT.

“I have seen a lot of trouble before and – I could have done a little bit more time, but four games – hopefully we can make a difference and keep this fabulous club in the Premier League.”

Allardyce added: “(I was) shocked (to get the opportunity), I never thought at this stage of the season there would be jobs offered.

“When the phone popped up with a name that I knew pretty well, I knew who it was straight away, so it took me about two seconds to say yes.”

Allardyce is reported to have agreed a basic salary of £500,000 for his four games in charge, with a £2.5million bonus if he can keep Leeds up.

Former MK Dons, Charlton and Oxford boss Karl Robinson will be Allardyce’s assistant. Former Leeds striker Robbie Keane is also expected to join the backroom staff.

Leeds travel to leaders Manchester City on Saturday, before hosting third-placed Newcastle.

The final two games of the season are a trip to West Ham, one of Allardyce’s former club, and the visit of European hopefuls Tottenham.

“Obviously they ae very difficult games, Man City, Newcastle, West Ham and Spurs,” Allardyce said.

“You can all point out where the easiest fixture might be and of course, there are no easy fixtures in the Premier League, but we can only go and do what we can try and achieve.”

Leeds have lost five of their last seven games, with Sunday’s 4-1 reverse at Bournemouth following 4-1, 5-1 and 6-1 defeats to Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Liverpool respectively earlier last month.

“We have conceded 28 goals in the last 10 or 12 games, and the first thing that we’re going to have to do is to stop that if we are going to get out of trouble,” Allardyce said.

“Because it means that we are needing to score two and three goals every game to try and win it and if we are left to do that, that would be nearly an impossible task.

“I am doing all I can with the staff who are most important in the support they are going to give to try and get the players out of trouble.”

On Sunday, fans’ group the Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board issued a vote of no confidence in both the club’s board and Gracia.

The players subsequently issued a statement on Monday apologising for their performance at Bournemouth and for failing to acknowledge fans at the team hotel.

Gracia leaves Leeds after only 12 games in charge. The Spaniard collected 10 points from his first six fixtures, but a dreadful run of results in April left the club in a downward spiral.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity and proud of the team, both players and coaching staff. That’s how I would like to summarize my time at Leeds United,” Gracia said in a statement.

“I would have preferred a different moment, but the circumstances have changed. We arrived on a short three-month contract, and we did it because we believed in this team.

“We considered our chances and had confidence, and we know it is possible. We are not talking about miracles, but about the efficient result of a well done work and a process of improvement.”

Sam Allardyce has replaced Javi Gracia as Leeds manager with four games of the season remaining, as the club bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

It is Allardyce’s ninth managerial job in the top flight and the sixth time that he has been appointed during a season, both of which are records.

The former England boss has taken charge of 537 Premier League games in total, which is the fifth-most behind Arsene Wenger (828), Sir Alex Ferguson (810), David Moyes (654) and Harry Redknapp (641).

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at Allardyce’s Premier League record.

Bolton

Won 80, drew 66, lost 80; 35.4 per cent win rate

Allardyce made his name at Bolton having played for the club for a decade and won promotion via the play-offs in his second season as manager in 2000-01.

Bolton initially struggled in the top flight, narrowly avoiding relegation in 2001-02 and 2002-03, before enjoying a breakthrough campaign in 2003-04. Boosted by the signing of target man Kevin Davies, the Trotters finished eighth in the league and reached a League Cup final.

The team went from strength to strength after that, qualifying for the UEFA Cup for the first time in 2004-05 and finishing eighth again in the following season. After missing out on the England job to Steve McClaren, Allardyce announced his surprise resignation as Bolton manager with two games of the 2006-07 campaign remaining, while the club were performing well in fifth place.

Newcastle

Won 7, drew 5, lost 9; 33.3 per cent win rate

Allardyce joined Newcastle in May 2007 and began his reign with a 3-1 opening-day victory over his former club Bolton. Four more victories followed in the Magpies’ next eight games but their form deteriorated after that.

A run of two wins from 12 league games led Allardyce and Newcastle to part ways, with new owner Mike Ashley seeking to win over the fanbase by appointing Kevin Keegan as manager for a second spell.

Blackburn

Won 26, drew 21, lost 29; 34.2 per cent win rate

Succeeding Paul Ince as Blackburn manager with the club in 19th place, Allardyce – who had spent almost a year out of work – began to establish his reputation as the man to turn to in a crisis.

Blackburn immediately went on a six-game unbeaten run to move clear of danger, eventually finishing in 15th place. A 10th-placed finish followed before Allardyce was sacked by new owners the Venky’s midway through the 2010-11 campaign.

West Ham

Won 35, drew 28, lost 51; 30.7 per cent win rate

Allardyce dropped down to the Championship after his Blackburn departure by taking over at the recently relegated West Ham. Having signed several former Bolton players including club captain Kevin Nolan, he led the Hammers back to the top flight at the first time of asking by beating Blackpool in the play-off final.

He subsequently guided the club to 10th, 13th and 12th-placed finishes in the next three seasons, but his contract was not renewed amid unrest from supporters related to his perceived style of play.

Sunderland

Won 9, drew 9, lost 12; 30.0 per cent win rate

Allardyce performed the second Premier League rescue act of his career when he took charge of a Sunderland side languishing in 19th in October 2015.

Despite struggling to engineer an immediate upturn in form, the Black Cats went six games without defeat at the end of the season to survive in 17th at the expense of local rivals and Allardyce’s former employers, Newcastle.

This proved sufficient to land him the England manager’s job, but he famously lasted just 67 days in the role following allegations of corruption.

Crystal Palace

Won 8, drew 2, lost 11; 38.1 per cent win rate

Three months on from the England debacle, Allardyce joined Crystal Palace with the club hovering just above the relegation places.

The Eagles recorded just one victory in his first eight league games in charge, before winning six of the subsequent eight to climb the table. They eventually finished 14th but Allardyce decided to resign from his post, stating that he had no ambitions to manage another club.

Everton

Won 9, drew 7, lost 8; 37.5 per cent win rate

Allardyce reversed his retirement decision a few months after leaving Palace by accepting the Everton job in November 2017.

He lifted the Toffees from 13th to eighth in the table but left the club at the end of the season following further criticism over his style of play. Despite their improvement in results, Everton took the fewest shots of any team in the Premier League during Allardyce’s tenure.

West Brom

Won 4, drew 7, lost 14; 16.0 per cent win rate

After an 18-month hiatus, Allardyce returned to Premier League management with West Brom in December 2020.

Albion were counting on Allardyce’s familiar formula but his first four home games brought four defeats by an aggregate 17-0 scoreline to Aston Villa, Leeds, Arsenal and Manchester City.

A late-season improvement, including beating Chelsea 5-2 and Southampton 3-0 in back-to-back games, was not enough to dig the Baggies out of the hole and all hope was extinguished by the Gunners with three games remaining.

Allardyce stepped down as manager at the end of the campaign.

Leeds are expected to appoint Sam Allardyce on Wednesday as they bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The club will part company with manager Javi Gracia – having already removed director of football Victor Orta – with Allardyce taking over for the run-in.

A poor season at Elland Road sees the club languishing 17th, and only goal difference keeps them out of the relegation zone.

They have lost four in a winless run of five matches and have four games left to save themselves.

Gracia only took over in February but confirmation that Allardyce is taking charge is expected a day after the departure of divisive director of football Orta.

The Spaniard took up the post at Elland Road in 2017 and helped the West Yorkshire side make their long-awaited return to the Premier League three years later.

But things have gone awry of late and embattled Leeds confirmed Orta’s exit by mutual consent.

Leeds travel to leaders Manchester City on Saturday, before hosting third-placed Newcastle. A trip to West Ham and an Elland Road encounter with European hopefuls Tottenham rounds out the season.

Allardyce would take charge after suffering his first Premier League relegation with West Brom, when he left six months into an 18-month contract.

The 68-year-old former Bolton, Newcastle, West Ham and England boss would be Leeds’ third permanent manager of the season after Jesse Marsch and Gracia.

Allardyce is reported to have agreed a basic salary of £500,000 for his four games in charge, with a £2.5million bonus if he can keep Leeds up.

Ruben Selles vowed Southampton will “fight until the very last point” after his side slipped closer to Premier League relegation following a damaging 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

Marcus Tavernier’s second-half winner at St Mary’s left the the division’s bottom club six points from safety with five games to go.

Beleaguered Saints thought they had snatched a dramatic draw but Che Adams’ 89th-minute effort was disallowed for offside following VAR intervention.

A painful defeat to their south-coast rivals inflicted a club-record 11th home league loss of the season on Southampton, with lingering hopes of survival fading fast.

“We are going to go and try to put a performance in every game to try to win, and we are going to do it until the very end,” said Selles.

“I know it’s only five games to play. But we are professionals and we will fight until the very last point.

“I know now it’s hard, I know the table is looking like it’s a difficult one but we are going to give it a try.”

Southampton lacked attacking thrust and urgency for much of a miserable evening played in soggy conditions.

Aside from Adams’ disallowed effort, the home side rarely threatened an equaliser following Tavernier’s deflected effort in the 50th minute.

“It’s a disappointing night, we came with the intention to put in a good performance and we obviously didn’t,” said Selles.

“Some of the things that can go against us, they went against us.

“Even the offside goal, it’s a couple of centimetres but it is offside. It was a hard night.”

Southampton lost captain James Ward-Prowse for the second half due to a sore throat and he will be assessed before Sunday’s visit to high-flying Newcastle.

Bournemouth moved on to 36 points – seven clear of the drop zone – following a significant win over their near neighbours.

Cherries boss Gary O’Neil initially feared substitute Adams was onside but felt his team were due a favourable VAR call.

O’Neil insists Bournemouth still have work to do to ensure safety following a third consecutive away success.

“It’s a big win for us, of course,” he said. “The performance was pleasing. I thought we were by far the better side today.

“The lads are recovering for Sunday (at home to Leeds), there’s no celebration, there’s not talk of points tallies. I can easily see 36 points going down this year. We won’t be resting.”

Speaking about the disallowed goal, he said: “We were due one to go our way. We’ve had some tight ones go against us.

“There were a few screams on the bench when it was ruled out. I didn’t think it was going to be.

“We had some footage in front of us which wasn’t clear. That’s a horrible moment as a coach when you’re sat there and waiting for someone to decide.

“But the players didn’t deserve to suffer that today, so pleased that we had a VAR check go our way for the first time this season, I think.”

Match-winner Tavernier limped off 12 minutes from time with a hamstring issue.

“He seems to think it isn’t too serious,” said O’Neil. “Hopefully it was just a touch of cramp.”