Southampton, a second division club, caused an upset in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday by defeating Premier League leaders Arsenal (2-1), who now face the possibility of missing out on another potential trophy.
At their St Mary’s stadium, currently seventh in the Championship, opened the scoring through Ross Stewart (35th minute), but were caught by a goal from substitute Viktor Gyökeres (68th minute) before clinching victory thanks to Shea Charles (85th minute). Arsenal suffered a second disappointment after losing the League Cup final to Manchester City, their Premier League rivals, before the international break in March. Their dream of a quadruple has vanished in just two weeks for Mikel Arteta’s team, who must now regroup to secure the league title and navigate their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Sporting.
Gunners’ Defense Struggles
In the South of England, Arsenal’s defense was repeatedly tested, especially by forward Leo Scienza, who was denied by Cristhian Mosquera (18th minute) and hit the crossbar with a shot against Kepa Arrizabalaga (61st minute). They conceded the first goal on a counterattack when Ross Stewart took advantage of a mistimed clearance by Ben White (35th minute, 1-0).
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, starting in domestic cup competitions, failed to save Shea Charles’ winning goal (85th minute, 2-1). The visitors had several goal-scoring opportunities, but Southampton’s goalkeeper remained alert, particularly to efforts from captain Martin Odegaard (25th minute) and 16-year-old forward Max Dowman (29th, 84th minute). There were also defenders blocking shots from Gabriel Martinelli (10th minute) and Dowman (53rd minute).
Only Viktor Gyökeres, well-placed to receive a pass from Kai Havertz, managed to score for Southampton (68th minute, 1-1). The Saints will find out their next opponent on Sunday.
