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By MATT BARLOW, FOOTBALL WRITER Published: 01: 36 AEDT, 9 March 2026 | Updated: 02: 42 AEDT, 9 March 2026 9 View comments With the yellow-and-blue retro shirts, defensive heroics to resist pressure and the man with number 11 on his back scoring the only goal, Southampton came to London and harnessed the spirit of 1976. Not Bobby Stokes against Manchester United for Lawrie Mc Menemy's second-tier team at Wembley this time, but Ross Stewart with a late penalty to topple Premier League Fulham. That was enough to book Tonda Eckert's Championship side into the FA Cup quarter finals, 50 years on, and Saints basked in the celebrations in front of their 5, 000-strong following in the Putney End. Marco Silva's team were booed off by angry fans though. Fortunes oscillated wildly through three games in eight days at Craven Cottage. First victory over Tottenham, then defeat against West Ham but this was a real disappointment for Fulham. With their topflight status safe and a well-balanced team with no shortage of creative flair at Silva's disposal, there was a genuine chance to take a serious tilt at landing their first major trophy, as Crystal Palace did last season. Silva tried to negotiate Saints without some of his senior stars, however, and was made to pay as Eckert's team produced a brilliant rearguard display and a winner from a 91st minute penalty, awarded for a trip by Joachim Andersen on Finn Azaz. Ross Stewart was the hero of the hour when he struck from the spot deep in added time For Fulham, letting the opportunity of claiming silverware slip away will sting for players and their fans Fulham dominated for long spells without really testing goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Southampton were squeezed back towards their own goal, but the stood firm. They were well organised and sprang with menace on the counterattack. All of which made for a delicately balanced contest if not a thrilling spectacle. Tonda Eckert revealed the win was inspired by the club's tales of past glories. 'There's moments where you just realise how big the Cup is, ' he said.  'One of those moments was Friday night at a charity event. There were many conversations through the night with some ex-players on the table telling you about the times when they played, and you go through goals the club has scored over the years. 'On nights like that, you can sense the importance of the FA Cup in general, but especially this year. That's why I decided to go very strong at Fulham, and I think it paid off. 'Then you come here on the coach and the whole street is full of Southampton supporters. And you come into the stadium and the stand behind the goal is full of Southampton supporters. 'You feel that in those moments the responsibility to go all in, and we did and over the 90 minutes it was well deserved. ' Leo Scienza should have scored for Saints midway through the first half when he burst clear, dashed away from Ryan Sessegnon on halfway and had only Benjamin Lecomte to beat. With all the time in the world, Scienza rolled a side-footer past 'keeper Lecomte and wide. Another glimpse of goal came Scienza's way before half time. Not as easy, although unmarked on the volley beyond the back post, this time the Brazilian winger sliced it out for a throw on the opposite side of the pitch. Before all this, Rodrigo Muniz had the ball in the net when Saints made a mistake in their haste to punish Fulham on the turnover of possession. Attempting to fire a quick goal kick towards pacy Scienza, goalkeeper Peretz smashed it into the back of defender Ryan Manning. Muniz reacted quickest to turn the rebound into an unguarded net from the edge of the penalty box. But referee Jarred Gillett had blown his whistle and later told the managers it was because the ball was rolling when the goal kick was taken. 'For me it's a goal, ' said Silva. 'You expect it would make a difference but I don't want to go in that direction and look to find excuses. I prefer to look for the real picture. 'Very bad day for us. Myself, the players, the club, mainly the fans. We were not good enough, simple as that. We didn't create enough around their box. We were not at the standards we needed to be and it is a moment to look deeper. It is not just another defeat. We lost a big chance to be in the next round. ' Early in the second half, another Fulham goal was ruled out. Timothy Castagne bundled the rebound in this time after Peretz had parried a header by Andersen, who was offside when Harrison Reed angled a free kick his way. Rodrigo Muniz saw his would-be goal ruled out under confusing circumstances on Saturday The Scottish star was nerveless from the spot as he channelled the spirit of Southampton's 1976 FA Cup winners Head coach Marco Silva and his players were booed off by fans at a cagey Craven Cottage Saints though were consistently dangerous, creating and wasting more clear chances on the break. Lecomte blocked with his left boot from Tom Fellows, then made a fabulous save with his fingertips, twisting in midair to reach a Azaz shot sent looping over the keeper by a deflection off Jorge Cuenca. Both attacks triggered by tackles won on Bobb in midfield. At the other end, Muniz flashed efforts over and wide. Castagne shot wide. Taylor Harwood-Bellis threw his body in front of a shot by Sessegnon and nothing summed up the Saints mentality quite like Peretz saving with his face from the same player. Then came the decisive moment, Saints on the move forward with a Stewart pass into Azaz, who was clipped by Andersen as he twisted onto his left foot inside the penalty box. Contact was minimal but enough for Gillett to point to the spot and for VAR to keep out. Up stepped Stewart for this third goal in four appearances and Eckert's Saints go marching on. Fulham (4-2-3-1): Lecomte 7; Castagne 6. 5, Andersen 6, Cuenca 6, Sessegnon 6; Reed 6. 5 (Jimenez 90+2), Cairney 6 (Iwobi 65, 5); Bobb 5, Smith Rowe 5 (King 89), Chukwueze 5; Muniz 6. Subs: Leno, Tete, Bassey, Berge, Lukic, Robinson Bookings: Cuenca Manager: Marco Silva 5 Southampton: Peretz 7. 5; Bree 7, Harwood-Bellis 8, Wood 7, Manning 7. 5; Downes 7, Jander 6. 5 (Bragg 71, 6); Fellows 5 (Matsuki 82), Azaz 6, Scienza 6 (Edozie 82); Larin 5. 5 (Stewart 71, 6) Subs: Long, Quarshie, Archer, Romeu, Jelert Goals: Stewart (90+1) Bookings: Downes, Matsuki Manager: Tonda Eckert 7 Referee: Jarred Gillett 5 Attendance: 21, 974

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