The St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton had lots to cheer as the home side caused a mighty upset by gunning down the Gunners in a solid performance to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
The Saints were not intimidated by Arsenal as they staged a strong defiance. The visitors, already reeling under the disappointing loss to Manchester City in the EFL Carabao Cup Final a few days ago, appeared lazy at times, and in particular, their defence was found wanting on several occasions.
Arsenal’s back line floundered in the air and missed the long ball, giving advantage to the Saints. The Gunners did hold possession but lacked that spark which has held them in good stead throughout the season.
The long ball once again put the Arsenal defence in a bind as Southampton, through Scottish Ross Stewart, broke the deadlock in the 35th minute to take the lead. The Gunners went after the Saints, but were denied by a resolute defence and their own misfiring forwards.
Eventually, the man in form, Viktor Gyökeres, equalised for Arsenal in the 68th minute. It appeared as if Arsenal would score and take the match, but Southampton had other ideas. Shea Charles, the 22-year-old, came off the bench and ensured a composed finish from a brilliant build-up to score the second goal for The Saints in the 85th minute.
The Stadium just blew its top as the shell-shocked Gunners tried to gather themselves for a final push. But the defiance continued from Southampton, and they hung on to the lead for good, beating Arsenal 2-1.
The favourites were knocked out of the competition. Mikel Arteta suffered a telling blow for the second time in a week.
The Saints gate-crashed into the semi-finals of the FA Cup and will take on hot favourites Manchester City.
An inspiring story indeed.
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