Port Vale, Southampton stun opponents in FA Cup
This season’s FA Cup just keeps on delivering shocks.
Third-tier Port Vale pulled off a massive upset on Sunday by beating Premier League Sunderland 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals of the historic competition. That was after Championship side Southampton knocked out another top-flight team with a 1-0 win against Fulham.
Port Vale is bottom of League One and 57 places below Sunderland. But the West Midlands team booked its place alongside giants Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in the last eight courtesy of Ben Waine’s looping first-half header.
It was the latest giant-killing in a season that already saw sixth-tier Macclesfield eliminate titleholder Crystal Palace in what was officially the biggest upset in FA Cup history.
Port Vale — the lowest-ranked team left in the competition — is situated less than 20 miles from Macclesfield and proved every bit as inhospitable for Premier League opposition.
“It probably hasn’t sunk in really. I’m in a little bit of shock about that result today,” Port Vale manager Jon Brady told TNT Sports. “Not that I didn’t believe we could do it, but you need a lot of things going your way.”
Brady and his players only secured their place in the fifth round by beating Championship side Bristol City five days earlier, with Waine scoring the winner in that match as well.
“I know it wasn’t pretty to watch, probably not the best game to watch, but we dug in so hard and I think we deserved it,” said Waine, who headed in from close range in the 28th minute. “We stuck to the game plan — as simple as that.”
The draw for the quarterfinals is on Monday.
Late drama for Southampton: Ross Stewart’s 91st-minute penalty sealed victory for Southampton at Craven Cottage.
The game was heading to extra time when Joachim Andersen brought down Finn Azaz in the box late on. Stewart stepped up and blasted past Fulham goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte.
Fulham coach Marco Silva paid the price for making nine changes to his starting lineup and leaving out star players like Raul Jimenez, Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi.
Victory continues Southampton’s impressive surge under coach Tonda Eckert, who has transformed the club’s fortunes since taking charge in November.
The team, which was relegated from the Premier League last season, was battling for survival in the Championship when former coach Will Still was fired. Under Eckert, it has risen up the standings and is competing for a place in the playoffs.
“Overall, in the 90 minutes it’s deserved that we go to the next round,” he told the BBC. “(We) just need to use this game as fuel for the games coming up.”
Leeds advances: Leeds broke the sequence of upsets by beating Norwich 3-0 at Elland Road.
For Leeds coach Daniel Farke, it was a reunion with his former club, which he twice led to promotion to the Premier League.
First-half goals from Sean Longstaff and Gabriel Gudmundsson put the home team in control by the break, with Joel Piroe adding a third in the 85th.
West Ham plays Brentford in the last match of the fifth round on Monday.
