Southampton FC booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after securing a dramatic 1–0 victory over Fulham FC at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
The Championship side sealed the fifth-round upset deep into stoppage time when striker Ross Stewart calmly converted a penalty to silence the home crowd.
It proved a disappointing afternoon for Fulham manager Marco Silva, whose decision to rotate his squad heavily did not pay off. The Portuguese coach made nine changes to the side that had suffered a 1–0 defeat against West Ham United in the Premier League earlier in the week.
The decisive moment came in the first minute of added time when Southampton midfielder Finn Azaz was brought down inside the penalty area by Fulham defender Joachim Andersen. Stewart stepped up and fired his spot-kick past goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte to secure the win.
Relegated from the Premier League last season, Southampton have now reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2022.
The victory also carried symbolic meaning for the club, whose players wore a special yellow kit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their historic 1976 FA Cup triumph. On that occasion, Bobby Stokes scored the decisive goal as second-tier Southampton stunned Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
While the current squad still has a long way to go to match the achievements of the team managed by Lawrie McMenemy, the side coached by Tonda Eckert is enjoying strong form. The victory extended Southampton’s unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions as they continue their push for FA Cup success and a place in the Championship play-offs.
Elsewhere in the competition, Sunderland AFC travel to face Port Vale FC, while Leeds United host Norwich City. West Ham United will take on Brentford FC on Monday.
Meanwhile, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC have already secured their spots in the quarter-finals.
