In a first half that epitomised Southampton’s torrid campaign, the south coast side were second best throughout the first 45 minutes.
While they may not have had a goal to represent their dominance, Fulham were the side to come closest, with Willian seeing a left-footed strike cleared off the line.
The ex-Chelsea man was unable to squeeze the ball beyond the plethora of bodies in front of the goal, with Lyanco the Saints defender to eventually clear the ball to safety.
Despite a goalless first half, there was a feeling of inevitability surrounding Fulham’s eventual opener, with Carlos Vinícius netting just three minutes after the break to condemn Saints’ slim survival hopes.
Falling to the Brazilian in front of an empty goal, Vinícius needed no invitation to tap home his third goal in four Fulham outings, giving the capital club a much-deserved advantage.
His reward for finding the target? Being subbed off for the returning Aleksandar Mitrović.
And who else but the Serbian would be on hand to net Fulham’s second of the afternoon?
Arriving onto Harry Wilson’s chipped ball into the penalty area, Mitrović marked his comeback after a lengthy eight-game ban with a stellar diving header to secure the three points for Fulham and confirm Southampton’s relegation to the second tier.
It was a tepid end to Saints’ 11-year stay in the Premier League and the side who gave the division the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Dušan Tadić, and Virgil Van Dijk will now be playing in the Championship next season.
As for Fulham, their memorable campaign continues to go from strength to strength, as with the three points, the west Londoners equal their highest-ever win tally for a Premier League campaign (15).
It’s just the third time in 33 H2Hs that Fulham have won away to Southampton and the first occasion they’ve ever done a league double over their Hampshire-based outfit.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Harry Wilson (Fulham)
