Port Vale cause FA Cup shock to reach quarter-finals

2026-03-08 - 18:34

BURSLEM, England – Third-tier strugglers Port Vale pulled off the shock of the FA Cup fifth round to beat Premier League Sunderland 1-0 and reach the quarter-finals ​for the first time since 1954 on Sunday. Ben Waine’s 28th-minute goal proved ‌enough to clinch a famous victory for the Vale Park club who are in danger of being relegated from League One this season. There was another surprise, albeit a milder one, earlier on ​Sunday as Premier League Fulham were beaten 1-0 at home by second-tier Southampton. Southampton became ​the first non Premier League club to reach the quarter-finals of ⁠this season’s competition thanks to a late penalty by substitute Ross Stewart after Finn Azaz was ​brought down in the area by Joachim Andersen. They were later joined by Port Vale ​who stunned Sunderland with a gritty display on a threadbare pitch. Sunderland, mid-table in the Premier League and 57 places higher than League One bottom club Port Vale, were pedestrian against their fired-up hosts ​and paid the penalty. Waine headed in after Sunderland failed to clear a corner ​and the hosts deservedly held on despite some late pressure. The 24-year-old New Zealand international had also scored ‌the ⁠winner against second-tier Bristol City in midweek in a delayed fourth-round tie. “We are on a bit of a roll at the moment,” Waine said. “I know it wasn’t pretty to watch but we dug in so hard and I think we deserved it. ​We lose this pitch ​here and we ⁠played to the conditions. We defended for our lives.” Former winners Southampton are back in the quarter-finals having reached there in 2020-21 and ​2021-22 and they thoroughly deserved to see off a lacklustre ​Fulham. Even before ⁠Stewart’s stoppage-time penalty, Fulham keeper Benjamin Lecomte had been forced into saves from Azaz and Tom Fellows as the visitors played the better football. Southampton and Port Vale join a powerful-looking quartet already through to ⁠the ​last eight with Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool ​in the hat for the quarter-finals.