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Late penalty earns Southampton a shock FA Cup victory at Fulham
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- Late penalty earns Southampton a shock FA Cup victory at Fulham
Late penalty earns Southampton a shock FA Cup victory at Fulham
Southampton scored a stoppage-time penalty to defeat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage to cause an FA Cup fifth-round upset.
An intriguing tie looked bound for extra-time until the 90th minute when Saints' Finn Azaz smartly kept himself onside and was tripped by the trailing boot of Joachim Andersen inside the box.
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From the spot, Ross Stewart hammered the ball hard and low into the corner beyond the fingertips of goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte to ensure there will be a Championship team in Monday's quarter-final draw.
Fulham were without Harry Wilson, out with the ankle problem that forced him off during the home win against Tottenham, and in the absence of their best player there was a noticeable diminishing of creative output.
Nine changes made by Marco Silva from the midweek defeat to West Ham also seemed to contribute to a lack of fluency and bite in possession, with Southampton carrying arguably the greater threat until Silva sent on second-half reinforcements to try to tip the balance.
The Premier League side finally looked to be getting the better of Saints when, as the clock ticked over into the 90th minute, a moment of carelessness from Andersen handed Stewart the chance to spark delirious scenes in the away end.
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Oscar Bobb created the game's first opening for himself after 12 minutes, cutting inside from right and lashing a shot low into the arms of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, then was denied again by a flying block from James Bree.
Fulham believed they were denied a fair goal when Peretz blasted a quick goal-kick straight at his own defender and Rodrigo Muniz stabbed in the loose ball. After a period of confusion, it was established the goal had been ruled out as the ball had been in motion when the kick was taken, with Fulham appearing far from satisfied by that ruling.
Leo Scienza wasted a wonderful chance to give Saints the lead midway through the first half. After a Fulham corner was cleared by a hoof from Azaz, the Brazilian winger beat Ryan Sessegnon to it in the centre circle before racing through on goal and sending his shot agonisingly wide.
Peretz and defender Nathan Wood combined in an improvised motion to keep out Andersen's near-post header from a Harrison Reed corner, then Scienza spurned another opening when he lashed at Bree's cross on the volley and sent it spiralling wide.
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Muniz headed Fulham's best chance so far over the bar at the start of the second half, then Timothy Castagne bundled the ball into the net for a second time after Peretz failed to hold Andersen's header, VAR upholding the onfield decision of offside.
Lecomte saved from Tom Fellows, who ought to have done better when in on goal, before Fulham came within a whisker when Azaz's shot on the turn was deflected onto the bar and behind by a last-ditch intervention by Jorge Cuenca.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis then produced his own piece of heroic defending to deflect Sessegnon's pile-driver over the bar, then Peretz saved from an identical position from the same player.
Extra-time looked a certainty until Andersen's trip and Azaz's tumble, and Stewart rifled Saints into the last eight.
