Southampton dents Everton's European hopes with shock 2-0 Premier League win

London: Top Premier League side Everton's hopes of securing Champions League football have been dealt a severe blow following their shock 2-0 loss at the hands of lower-placed Southampton St. Mary's Stadium on Saturday.

Everton, which is already a point adrift of Arsenal in the race for fourth place at the Champions League, have already set their Premier League best points with 69 while
Southampton's tally of 52 points means they have equalled their best points haul in a 38-game Premier League season and still have two games to play.

According to the BBC, Everton fell behind after 54 seconds when Antolin Alcaraz headed home Rickie Lambert's awkward left-wing cross, making it an own goal and they saw another own goal when Seamus Coleman headed in the 31st minute to make it 2-0 for Southampton.

Only a win over a mid-table Southampton team with little to play for seemed like keeping alive Everton's Champions League hopes, but victory at St Mary's never seemed on the cards with a nervy defensive display that started badly and got worse, the report added.