Southampton stun Premier League leaders Arsenal to reach FA Cup semi-finals
Ross Stewart's first-half goal and a late winner from substitute Shea Charles were enough to knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup and send Southampton into the last four at Wembley.
Stewart's goal gives Saints the lead
Southampton came out with intent from the opening whistle, pressing Arsenal high and refusing to let the visitors settle. James Bree delivered a clipped cross from the right flank in the 35th minute, which Ben White misjudged, and Stewart pounced to drill a low shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga. St Mary's erupted. The Championship side, wearing a commemorative yellow kit to mark the 50th anniversary of their 1976 FA Cup triumph over Manchester United, looked every bit a team that believed they belonged.
Arsenal struggled to impose themselves for long stretches of the first half. Mikel Arteta's side controlled possession but created little of substance, and Tonda Eckert's well-drilled defensive shape made life difficult whenever the visitors tried to play through the middle.
Gyokeres levels before Charles delivers the killer blow
Arsenal improved after the interval and found their equaliser in the 68th minute when Viktor Gyokeres finished sharply to make it 1-1. The goal felt inevitable given the weight of pressure Arsenal had built, and for a spell it looked like the Premier League leaders would go on to complete the comeback.
Southampton had other ideas. Eckert sent on Charles with 15 minutes remaining and the Northern Ireland international repaid his manager's faith almost immediately. With five minutes left on the clock, Charles collected the ball on the edge of the box, steadied himself and placed a low shot into the bottom corner. Raya could not get across in time. The noise at St Mary's was deafening.
Arteta takes the blame but refuses to criticise his players
Arsenal threw everything forward in search of a second equaliser but Southampton held firm. The final whistle confirmed one of the stories of the season: a second-tier side had dumped out the runaway Premier League leaders in front of 31,067 to reach Wembley for the first time since their 2021 semi-final against Leicester.
Arteta cut a deflated figure afterwards but stopped short of pointing the finger. "I love my players, what they have done for nine months," the Spaniard said. "I'm not going to criticise them for losing here. If someone has to take responsibility, that's me." He then turned his focus to what comes next. "Now we have to show what we are made of."
For Southampton, this result carries echoes of their greatest FA Cup moment. Fifty years on from Bobby Stokes' goal against Manchester United in the 1976 final, this current side have given their supporters another day to savour.
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