April 04, (THEWILL) — Southampton brought Arsenal’s FA Cup campaign to an end at the quarter-final stage, beating the English Premier League leaders 2-1 at St Mary’s.
Substitute Shea Charles scored the decisive goal with five minutes to play, completing a major upset for the Championship side.
The hosts were worth their half-time advantage, which came through Ross Stewart’s composed finish after Ben White misjudged James Bree’s cross.
Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz also impressed before the break, turning away efforts from Martin Odegaard and Max Dowman to keep the tie in the home side’s favour.
Viktor Gyokeres, introduced from the bench, levelled in the 68th minute by steering a Kai Havertz pass into an unguarded net.
Extra time appeared inevitable, but Charles settled the contest when he guided the ball in off the inside of the post following another forceful run by Tom Fellows, who had caused Arsenal persistent problems throughout the second half.
The visitors were further unsettled by the withdrawal of Gabriel Magalhaes with an apparent knee injury.
Southampton also went close to doubling their lead earlier in the half, with Fellows firing over and Leo Scienza seeing a curling effort clip the top of the crossbar.
Defeat eliminates Arsenal from the FA Cup and formally ends their bid for a third trophy this season, following their EFL Cup final defeat.
Mikel Arteta’s side, who had been in contention for a quadruple only a fortnight ago, now turn their attention exclusively to the EPL and the UEFA Champions League.
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.
