AfriPulse
March 08, (THEWILL) — A Ross Stewart penalty in the first minute of added time sent Southampton into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, ending a tie that Fulham had done much to surrender themselves.
Manager Marco Silva made nine changes from the side beaten by West Ham in the English Premier League earlier that week. Two Fulham goals were disallowed, the first when the referee blew his whistle prematurely before Rodrigo Muniz finished, the second when Joachim Andersen was flagged offside after setting up Timothy Castagne.
Southampton wore a yellow commemorative kit to mark 50 years since Bobby Stokes fired a second-tier side to a shock victory over Manchester United in the 1976 FA Cup final. Manager Tonda Eckert said, “It has been 50 years since we won it for the last time. When we arrive on the coach and the whole street is full of Southampton supporters, you can definitely say we feel the importance of it.”
Stewart, a substitute, converted from the spot after Finn Azaz was fouled by Andersen in the box. The goal carried added weight for the striker, who suffered an Achilles injury at the same ground in 2023 while playing for Sunderland.
Eckert’s side, relegated from the EPL last season, are unbeaten in 10 successive matches and remain in contention for a Championship play-off place. They enter the last eight for the first time since 2022.
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Jude Obafemi, THEWILL
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
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