Southampton Fans See FA Cup Progress and Play-Off Hope Rise Under Tonda Eckert
Southampton players and fans gain new momentum and a Cup run after a last-gasp win, Sunday at 3: 00 p. m. ET, as tonda eckert led the side to victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage, reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in four years and extending an unbeaten run to 10 games.
Ross Stewart’s injury-time penalty secures FA Cup quarter-final place for Southampton
Ross Stewart’s injury-time penalty at Craven Cottage booked Southampton’s spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in four years and extended the club’s unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions.
Stewart, a substitute, rifled the spot-kick past Benjamin Lecomte after referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the penalty spot following a challenge in the box when Finn Azaz was brought down by Joachim Andersen.
Stewart’s strike was notable for his history at the ground: he suffered an Achilles injury at Craven Cottage in 2023 while playing for Sunderland, a personal detail that underscored the significance of his match-winning moment.
Tonda Eckert’s unusual path: from Euro 2012 analyst to Southampton head coach
At 19, tonda eckert was studying at a sports university in Cologne and worked as an analyst for Germany at Euro 2012, placing him in the same professional sphere as Joachim Löw, Hansi Flick and players including Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos and Manuel Neuer.
Eckert was later tasked with preparing a dossier on Argentina for the 2014 World Cup, a campaign that ended with Germany overcoming Argentina in the final and celebrations at the Fanmeile by Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
He joined Southampton as their under-21s head coach last summer, turned 33 in January, and his first taste of the Championship came at Barnsley in 2020-21; he also worked with Mario Balotelli at Genoa last season.
Jarred Gillett’s 19th-minute whistle and Fulham changes shaped a nervy contest
Fulham were controversially denied a 19th-minute opener when Daniel Peretz’s goal-kick struck his own defender and fell to Rodrigo Muniz, who stabbed the ball into an empty net, but Jarred Gillett had already blown his whistle, judging the ball was still moving at the time of the kick.
Fulham boss Marco Silva made nine changes to his side for the tie after a recent 1-0 loss to West Ham United, a rotation decision that gave several fringe players an opportunity but ultimately did not prevent Southampton’s late winner.
The immediate test for both teams comes in league action next week: Southampton travel to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom on Wednesday at 2: 45 p. m. ET; if Southampton hold their form, momentum is expected to carry into that fixture.
