A dramatic FA Cup night saw southampton vs arsenal finish 2-1 as Championship side Southampton stunned Premier League leaders Arsenal, the match sealed by Shea Charles late in the second half.
Southampton took the lead in the 35th minute when Ross Stewart controlled James Bree’s floated delivery and fired past Kepa Arrizabalaga, after Ben White misjudged the cross and failed to clear.
Arsenal began with captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes, and introduced Viktor Gyokeres among other substitutes in the second half to chase a response.
Gyokeres drew Arsenal level in the 68th minute after Gabriel threaded a pass to Havertz, who set up the Sweden international for the finish, but Southampton continued to threaten with shots and a crossbar strike.
Wembley Trip And Wider Implications
Shea Charles, introduced from the bench, completed a slick move by taking a short pass from Tom Fellows and finishing into the bottom left corner in the 85th minute to send Saints into the semi finals.
Saints, currently seventh in the Championship under Tonda Eckert and on a 14 match unbeaten run as reported, will visit Wembley for the semi finals for the first time since 2021, with St Mary’s capacity of 32,000 roaring the victory.
The defeat leaves Arsenal having lost two consecutive matches, a run that the first article said halved their trophy ceiling, and followed a Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City and an international break notably marked by players withdrawing.
As reported, 11 Arsenal players withdrew from national duty with injury concerns, while several others pulled out including Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice, and the club still faces an upcoming Champions League quarter final.
