Ross Stewart struck deep into stoppage time to give Championship side Southampton a dramatic FA Cup victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage and secure their place in the quarter-finals for the first time in four years.
The substitute fired home a penalty moments after the 90-minute mark, beating Benjamin Lecomte with a powerful finish to seal a hard-earned win over their Premier League opponents.
The result also extended Southampton’s impressive unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions.
Southampton’s breakthrough came in an instant when referee Jarred Gillett pointed straight to the spot after Finn Azaz was brought down in the area by Joachim Andersen.
Stewart, who suffered a serious Achilles injury at Craven Cottage while playing for Sunderland in 2023, showed no hesitation as he drilled the penalty inside the left post to send Tonda Eckert’s in-form side into the last eight.
Fulham felt they should have taken the lead early in the match when Rodrigo Muniz tapped the ball into an empty net after Daniel Peretz’s goal-kick struck teammate Ryan Manning and rebounded into his path.
However, referee Gillett had already blown his whistle, ruling that the ball had still been moving when the goal-kick was taken.
Marco Silva made nine changes to his starting lineup following Fulham’s midweek Premier League defeat to West Ham, giving opportunities to several squad players.
The hosts still created plenty of chances.
Oscar Bobb forced Peretz into an early save with a curling shot, while Southampton’s Leo Scienza produced the visitors’ most dangerous moment of the first half with a lively run and strike that flashed narrowly wide.
Fulham thought they had scored again shortly after the break when Timothy Castagne found the net following a headed knockdown from Andersen, but the assistant’s flag was raised with the defender clearly offside.
Despite Fulham dominating large portions of the game, the late penalty proved decisive.
Southampton managed only a handful of attempts but made their moment count.
The victory continues an impressive revival under head coach Tonda Eckert. When the German took charge in November, the club sat 21st in the Championship table.
Since then, Southampton have surged into play-off contention while also enjoying a strong cup run.
Fulham finished the match with 24 shots and six on target, compared with Southampton’s five efforts overall, yet their inability to convert chances proved costly.
It is another painful cup exit for Silva’s side, who were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup quarter-finals earlier this season by a last-minute goal against Newcastle.
With relegation concerns absent and the FA Cup offering a realistic shot at silverware, the defeat will feel like a missed opportunity for the London club.
