Fifty years since their greatest day, Southampton fans are dreaming again
Fulham 0 - 1 Southampton
Ross Stewart struck a dramatic stoppage-time penalty as Championship side Southampton reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in four years.
Author | Ajay
Stadium | Craven Cottage
The substitute fired his penalty beyond Benjamin Lecomte shortly after the 90-minute mark to seal a hard-earned victory over their Premier League hosts and extend Southampton’s unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions.
The decisive moment arrived suddenly when referee Jarred Gillett pointed straight to the spot after Finn Azaz was brought down in the area by Joachim Andersen. Stewart, who suffered an Achilles injury at Craven Cottage in 2023 while playing for Sunderland, drove the penalty inside the left post to send Tonda Eckert’s resurgent side into the final eight.
Fulham had earlier been denied what looked a clear opening goal in the 19th minute. Daniel Peretz’s goal kick struck team-mate Ryan Manning on the back and fell kindly to Rodrigo Muniz, who tapped into an empty net. Yet Gillett had already blown his whistle, ruling the ball was still moving when the kick was taken.
Did Fulham make too many changes?
The Fulham manager Marco Silva had made nine changes following Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham United, giving several fringe players an opportunity.
Both sides began with purpose. Oscar Bobb tested Peretz with a curling effort towards the bottom corner, while Southampton’s Leo Scienza looked the visitors’ most threatening outlet, weaving through Fulham’s defence before shooting narrowly wide.
Fulham thought they had a second goal after the interval when Andersen headed down a free kick for Timothy Castagne to finish, but the flag was raised for offside against the defender.
In the end the late penalty proved decisive for Southampton, who have enjoyed a striking revival under Eckert since November. When the German arrived the club were 21st in the Championship. They are now pushing for the play-off places and have booked a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
