With 84 and a half minutes on the clock, Mikel Arteta presumably suspected Viktor Gyökeres, one of his substitutes, had taken an absorbing FA Cup tie to extra time. Gyokeres cancelled out Ross Stewart’s first-half strike, seizing on his first whiff of goal, but it was Shea Charles, a second-half arrival for Southampton, who earned the Championship hosts victory and passage to the semi-finals. Another sub, Cyle Larin, started the move, protecting the ball with his back to goal.
Charles, who was also involved in the buildup, calmly gathered Tom Fellows’ pass and found the corner to cue ecstasy in the stands. For Saints, just the fifth team to beat the Premier League leaders this season, the spirit of 76 lives on. For Arsenal, after suffering Carabao Cup pain at Wembley, this spelled successive defeats for the first time this season and now their season really is at risk of unravelling.
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