Southampton 2-1 Arsenal: Ross Stewart and Shay Charles write their names in Saints’ history as they beat the Premier League leaders and book a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Shay Charles scored the winning goal.
Tonda Eckert’s Southampton surprised Arsenal by defeating Arsenal 2-1 at home in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, advancing to the semi-finals of the competition. Saints face Man City and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium, before taking on Leeds United and West Ham United tomorrow afternoon.
The Gunners were the clear favorites heading into the match, but it was the Championship side who took the lead in the 35th minute when Ross Stewart made an uncharacteristic mistake from behind to give the Championship side the lead. The Gunners are known for their solid defence, but for much of the game they were at the back of the pack.
Mikel Arteta made his substitution in the 10th minute, and substitute Victor Gokeres scored the equalizer, firing home side Gabriel Martinelli’s cut into the back of the net. But the Southampton manager responded with a tactical masterclass of his own from the bench.
He introduced former Man City starlet Shea Charles, who scored the winning goal in the 85th minute to keep the FA Cup magic alive.
Here are the talking points from the FA Cup quarter-finals.
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1. Carabao Cup demons linger
Kepa Arrizabalaga has started every FA Cup game for the Gunners this season, but there were question marks over whether the goalkeeper would exorcise the demons of their defeat to Man City in the Carabao Cup final. The Spaniard opened the scoring at Wembley, dropping Rayan Cherki’s cross at the feet of Nico O’Reilly and firing it into goal.
It was a big ask for Arteta to keep the 31-year-old with David Raya on the bench. Arsenal’s number two didn’t make much of a fuss if he had any issues tonight, but the demons of the defeat against City certainly seemed to linger on some of his team-mates. Arsenal were in good shape defensively.
Although the statistics were heavily weighted in Arsenal’s favor, Southampton, who were better defensively, were most likely to take the lead with long balls forward, causing havoc for the Gunners’ backline.
Leo Cienza’s chance in the first half should have been a warning for Arsenal, but the Brazilian forward was unable to find his footing and was unable to recover for Cristian Mosquera to clear his lines and roll the ball into the empty net beyond Kepa in the away goal.
Ross Stewart breaks the deadlock
Arsenal may have had more possession and had more tries on goal, but Ross Stewart’s opener was a perfect example of Saints countering efficiently. After a quick break, they flicked the ball to the far post, but Ben White screwed it up and found Stewart with acres of space, and the Scottish striker calmly slotted home past Kepa and into the bottom corner.
The Gunners struggled with defensive transitions and were unable to deal with long balls from the back. They were sloppy in possession and got lucky a few times.
2. Martin Odegaard’s lackluster return
Arsenal endured a forgettable two weeks after losing the Carabao Cup final, with an injury list longer than Arteta’s arm. The likes of Gabriel Magalhães and Martin Odegaard returned to the starting lineup, but there were 11 players who were doubtful to play in today’s game due to injury. For the latter, it was an opportunity to add to his just two substitute appearances since January.
Injuries have derailed his campaign, but there are also questions about his form when he appears. Today was an opportunity for him to prove he can still be the creative inspiration Arsenal need in their quest for silverware.
The midfielder saw a lot of the ball and was a threat in the final third, but he should have scored midway through the first half, shortly after forcing Daniel Peretz into a save on the left. He took a shot from 10 yards out and tried to control the goal.
This mistake would prove costly with the Saints scoring a few minutes later. Odegaard gasped and exhaled trying to get his team back into the game, but to no avail. It is unclear whether his substitution near the end of the match was planned in advance, but he was replaced by Noni Maduke.
Martin Odegaard returns to Arsenal and starts
3. Southampton Sunbuster
Few Arsenal fans will be managing Sienza before tonight’s FA Cup clash, but they will no doubt remember his name now. Eckert was ruled out due to injury and revealed he was “desperate” to play, but he certainly rose to the occasion.
The 27-year-old, who spent most of his career in Germany before joining Southampton, has scored six goals and provided eight assists for Saints this season.
The Brazilian was a constant threat on the left side of the pitch, giving Ben White some tough minutes. He could and should have scored in the first half.
It would be no surprise if he spearheads Southampton’s promotion push between now and the end of the season.
Leo Cienza impresses with Southampton
4. “Supermax Dorman”
It’s easy to forget that Max Dauman is only 16 years old, given his confidence, fearlessness and quality of the ball. It took only a few minutes for him to cut inside from the right and force Perez into a save, but it was a comfortable save.
The youngster was serenaded by traveling Arsenal supporters as ‘Super Max Dauman’ echoed across the terraces to the tune of ‘Super Jack Wilshere’. The former Arsenal midfielder made the biggest breakthrough in recent Gunners history with a memorable masterclass against Barcelona.
Injuries derailed his career and football fans never got to see him reach those heights on a regular basis. Arsenal will be hoping Dauman doesn’t suffer a similar setback and can continue his impressive trajectory.
Max Dauman was given the start.
The youngster’s attacking quality is not the only impressive part of his game. His defensive work was also fun to watch, although 48 per cent of Arsenal’s attacks in the first half came from Arsenal’s side. He was the best player on the pitch for the Gunners.
5. Arsenal’s injury nightmare continues
Although Arteta and Arsenal were able to bring several key players back from injury, they suffered a major blow midway through the second half when Gabriel was sent off, seemingly clutching his left knee.
The Brazilian did not travel to his home country during the recent international break, staying in north London to rest his injury, but was fine to start the match at St Mary’s.
Arsenal defender Gabriel injured
He wasn’t at his best, but he’s still an important player. He was forced to be replaced in the 73rd minute by William Saliba, who was also suffering from an injury.
Arteta will be hoping this setback is not too serious as the Gunners lack options in the heart of defence.
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