Grimsby knock out Southampton, Sheffield United beat Tottenham
Sky Bet League Two’s Grimsby and Championship Sheffield United caused a stir by beating Premier League Southampton and Tottenham respectively.
Southampton 1-2 Grimsby
Gavan Holohan converted two penalties as Grimsby knocked Premier League contenders Southampton out of the FA Cup in a surprise 2-1 win at St Mary’s.
Midfielder Holohan capitalized on the insane moments of Saints duo Lyanco and Duje Caleta-Car to propel the Mariners into the quarterfinals of the competition for the first time since World War II.
Croatia defender Caleta-Car atoned for his mistake by halving the deficit for the bottom of the top flight with 25 minutes remaining.
But the 1976 FA Cup winners were unable to avoid another major setback to a miserable season when they went down to the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.
Southampton substitute Theo Walcott thought he had equalized with 10 minutes remaining, only to be ruled offside after a VAR check before loud boos from the stunned hosts.
Sheffield United 1-0 Tottenham
Tottenham have been knocked out of the FA Cup for the second year running after Iliman fired Ndiaye at Sheffield United to a 1-0 fifth round win at Bramall Lane.
A year to the day since they were beaten by the same goal line at Middlesbrough, Spurs have again lost to a team in the division below them after a poor performance in South Yorkshire.
After starting Harry Kane on the bench, they fell behind on Ndiaye’s opener in the 79th minute and couldn’t find a way back into the game.
Defeat means another chance to end their 15-year losing streak goes up in smoke and they are exiting the first domestic cup competition at this point for the fourth consecutive season.
With Antonio Conte still out of the country while recovering from gallbladder surgery, the manager will dodge some of the flak for this defeat, but with his future still up in the air, the pressure is mounting ahead of a difficult period in the Premier League and the Champions League.
It was a glorious night for the Blades, who reached the last eight for the third time in four years and are now a win away from Wembley, who complement their campaign of promotion in the Championship.
Manchester United 3-1 West Ham
Alejandro Garnacho spurred Manchester United to a late comeback win over West Ham as Erik ten Hag’s side sealed their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals three days after their Carabao Cup triumph.
Sunday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle gave the Old Trafford giants their first title win since 2017, but the manager’s immediate message to his players was ‘get back to work’.
United appeared to be brought back to earth with a bump after Said Benrahma gave David Moyes’ West Ham a deserved lead at Old Trafford.
But Nayef Aguerd’s own goal in the 77th minute sparked an impressive turnaround, with teenager Garnacho’s superb shot in the 90th minute being followed by Fred’s added-time strike in the 3-1 triumph.
Relief reigned among the enthusiastic celebrations as Ten Hag’s men emerged from the fifth-round tie despite a shaky performance, keeping their hopes of a quadruple alive.
Burnley 1-0 Fleetwood
League leaders Burnley needed a Connor Roberts goal in the 90th minute to defeat the 10 men of League One Fleetwood 1-0 and advance to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in 20 years.
Vincent Kompany’s side played with an extra man for more than 45 minutes after Cian Hayes saw red in first-half injury time but were in danger of being taken into extra time by a Fleetwood side who showed why they were in this game had come back from four straight goals conceded.
When the goal did come, it was tough for visiting goalkeeper Jay Lynch, who made good saves back-to-back against Halil Dervisoglu and Charlie Taylor only to be beaten from close range when Roberts’ shot deflected Vitinho’s shot through a crowded area into the net .
It was the reward for a Burnley performance that saw them dominate possession throughout the night and register 31 attempts on goal against a side playing in the fifth round for the first time.