Southampton secured a 1-0 victory over Premier League side Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round, advancing to the quarterfinals as the first non-top-flight team to do so this season. Ross Stewart scored from a 91st-minute penalty after Finn Azaz was fouled by Joachim Andersen. Fulham's potential goal by Rodrigo Muniz was disallowed due to a referee's call on a moving ball during a goal kick.
The match at Craven Cottage on March 8, 2026, saw Championship club Southampton pull off an upset against Fulham, who sit 10th in the Premier League. Southampton, eighth in the Championship and on a 10-match unbeaten run with eight wins, made four changes to their lineup, while Fulham rotated nine players following a midweek league defeat to West Ham.
A bizarre first-half incident denied Fulham a lead when goalkeeper Daniel Peretz's goal kick hit teammate Ryan Manning, allowing Rodrigo Muniz to score. Referee Jarred Gillett ruled the ball was moving at the time of the kick, disallowing the goal. Former Fulham manager Chris Coleman called it 'a tough one' on TNT Sports, adding, 'The ball’s stopped rolling.'
The game remained goalless until stoppage time, when Azaz was brought down in the box by Andersen. Stewart, a former Scotland international, converted the penalty past Benjamin Lecomte with composure. Analyst Adam Virgo praised it as 'a wonderful penalty under great pressure' and 'brilliant' on TNT Sports.
Southampton's win extends their strong form under coach Tonda Eckert, who took over in November and lifted the team from relegation trouble to playoff contention. Eckert told the BBC, 'Overall, in the 90 minutes it’s deserved that we go to the next round. (We) just need to use this game as fuel for the games coming up.' Fulham coach Marco Silva's heavy rotation, omitting players like Raul Jimenez, Antonee Robinson, and Alex Iwobi, contributed to the defeat.
This marks the fourth FA Cup tie between the sides, with Southampton now advancing after previous low-scoring encounters. The quarterfinal draw follows on Monday.
