Win no fluke as Eckert's Saints target Wembley treble

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Southampton shock Arsenal to reach FA Cup semi-finals

Fifty years after their one and only FA Cup success, underdogs Southampton are again stunning top-flight opposition - and doing so in style.

In 1976, Saints were a Second Division team when they shocked Manchester United with a 1-0 win in the final, with the 2026 side wearing similar yellow shirts in celebration of that side.

Fast forward to the modern day, and Southampton are again winning against the odds, beating Premier League leaders Arsenal 2-1 in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday amid a thrilling atmosphere at St Mary's.

"This is not a fluke," said former Saints striker Alan Shearer on BBC One. And he was right. Victory went to the better side on the night.

Ross Stewart put Southampton ahead in the first half, but when Arsenal equalised through Viktor Gyokeres it was perhaps logical to assume the Gunners would go on to secure a Wembley semi-final spot.

Yet before the game, Saints boss Tonda Eckert had tipped Shea Charles to make a "big impact" off the bench, and the substitute did just that by scoring an 85th-minute winner.

It means Southampton are into the semi-finals for the 14th time.

"I got told to come on and try and get hold of the game, try and keep the ball a bit," said Charles. "We did OK, but to score was just special. I thought 'just try and place it in the corner'."

Southampton attacking midfielder Leo Scienza was among the team's most eye-catching performers.

He said: "Arsenal are the best team in England and one of the best teams in the world right now, so it's difficult to stop the quality they have, but we did very well.

"There are no words to describe how much we fought today. It was not luck, we fought so hard and we deserved it. Amazing."

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Southampton shock Arsenal

Wembley three times in the same season?

For Southampton, this result continues a remarkable turnaround to their season.

Having been relegated in 2024-25 with only 12 points, the second lowest total since the top flight was rebranded as the Premier League in the early 1990s, Southampton were expected to push for an instant return.

When their new boss Will Still was sacked in November, though, Saints were 21st in the Championship and seemingly in danger of dropping into League One.

But the club promoted German coach Eckert from his role with the club's under-21s and they now sit seventh in the Championship, one point behind sixth-placed Wrexham in the final play-off spot.

They face Wrexham in an away league game on Tuesday. The Arsenal game was big, but Wrexham at the Stok Cae Ras could be considered just as important.

Southampton will be at Wembley at least once - in the FA Cup semi-final - and maybe twice more on top if they reach the play-off final and then the FA Cup final.

"It's a big night for us. We knew we had to dig deep in some moments," said Eckert.

"Over the 90 minutes it was very well deserved.

"They're a good team and you can throw problems at them and they always have solutions. They are so well managed and tough to come up against. We had some moments where we did find a couple of solutions.

"Then there are the substitutions that change the game - we made quite good substitutions. In the end it was a big night for us and a big night for the supporters."

Former Southampton defender Francis Benali, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "What a result. Just look at what it means to the supporters and the players. I'm proud of them. They deserved it.

"What an achievement against what is a formidable Arsenal side."

For Arsenal, this was a second successive defeat, coming after they had been beaten 2-0 by Manchester City in the Wembley final of the Carabao Cup.

England legend Shearer, speaking on BBC One, said: "Southampton deserve their trip to Wembley.

"They were absolutely magnificent and the job that Tonda Eckert has done, what a night for them. They still had the belief that they could go on and win this game and they did. This is not a fluke. Thoroughly deserved.

"What a job that Eckert has done, the belief that he has given this football club from where they were to where they are now."

Southampton will be the only non-Premier League team in the semi-finals, having gone through on Saturday alongside Manchester City and Chelsea, with the last spot to go to either West Ham or Leeds, who play their quarter-final on Sunday.

Scienza realises Southampton are still a long way from lifting the cup, but like the heroes of 1976 they will keep believing.

"If you want to win the title, you have to beat them all," he said. "All the other teams will be very difficult, but at the moment we just have to be grateful."