Fifty years after their one and only FA Cup success, underdogs Southampton are again stunning top-flight opposition – and doing so in style.
In 1976, Saints were a Second Division team when they shocked Manchester United with a 1-0 win in the final, with the 2026 side wearing similar yellow shirts in celebration of that side.
Fast forward to the modern day, and Southampton are again winning against the odds, beating Premier League leaders Arsenal 2-1 in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday amid a thrilling atmosphere at St Mary’s.
“This is not a fluke,” said former Saints striker Alan Shearer on BBC One. And he was right. Victory went to the better side on the night.
Ross Stewart put Southampton ahead in the first half, but when Arsenal equalised through Viktor Gyokeres it was perhaps logical to assume the Gunners would go on to secure a Wembley semi-final spot.
Yet before the game, Saints boss Tonda Eckert had tipped Shea Charles to make a “big impact” off the bench, and the substitute did just that by scoring an 85th-minute winner.
It means Southampton are into the semi-finals for the 14th time.
“I got told to come on and try and get hold of the game, try and keep the ball a bit,” said Charles. “We did OK, but to score was just special. I thought ‘just try and place it in the corner’.”
Southampton attacking midfielder Leo Scienza was among the team’s most eye-catching performers.
He said: “Arsenal are the best team in England and one of the best teams in the world right now, so it’s difficult to stop the quality they have, but we did very well.
“There are no words to describe how much we fought today. It was not luck, we fought so hard and we deserved it. Amazing.”
