FA Cup Fifth Round: Sunderland 1-0 Southampton

Craig Gardner’s thunderous strike edged Sunderland closer to a second outing at Wembley Stadium.

The midfielder crashed a 20-yard effort in off the crossbar to defeat Southampton at the Stadium of Light and send Gus Poyet’s side into the Sixth Round of The FA Cup with Budweiser.

And if they win their last-eight tie they can look forward to a Semi-Final under the Arch, having already made it through to next month’s League Cup final.

The weekend’s opening Fifth Round tie will not go down as a classic and Gardner’s goal was by far the best moment of an ultimately disappointing game.

Rickie Lambert could, and should, have forced a replay in the dying minutes but he somehow managed to clip Nathaniel Clyne’s low cross over the crossbar from a matter of yards.

Sunderland might also have put the tie to bed as Southampton poured forward, but one goal was enough in the end.

The Black Cats saw more of the ball in the opening period but it was Southampton and England Under-21 midfielder James Ward-Prowse who registered the first shot on target, from Lambert’s knockdown.

The 19-year-old’s scuffed half-volley from just inside the box was well held by Oscar Ustari in the Sunderland goal and that turned out to be the best chance of a poor first half.

Sunderland continued to enjoy more possession, only to be let down by their final ball, while Saints looked dangerous every time they countered.

The home fans appealed loudly for a penalty midway through the opening 45 as Luke Shaw, another Under-21 international, nudged Fabio Borini off the ball on the right-hand side of the box but Mike Dean wasn’t convinced and gestured for a goal-kick.

There was a more lively start to the second half as Sunderland twice had promising attacks thwarted by the offside flag and Adam Lallana cracked a shot over the top of the bar.

And the game was brought further to life when the hosts went ahead – and it was a trademark long-range effort from Gardner which had the Stadium of Light faithful on their feet as he rifled the ball in off the crossbar from 20 yards.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men responded almost instantly, Steven Davis trying his luck from distance but bending the ball just wide of Ustari’s near post.

And as the visitors presseed for an equaliser, with Schneiderlin and Rodriguez coming off the bench, they were almost undone by a second Sunderland goal as Connor Wickham, himself a substitute, almost got on the end of Seb Larsson’s right-wing cross.

Larsson then had an effort which was straight down the throat of Kelvin Davis.

Saints right-back Clyne had been lively all afternoon and he twice came close to setting up a late Southampton equaliser, providing two low crosses from near the by-line.

The first was clipped just past Ustari’s near post by Lallana, but the second moments later really should have been buried by Lambert.

Instead, the England man somehow contrived to lift the ball over the bar from barely a yard out.

Southampton committed numbers forward late on and reliant on Kelvin Davis keeping them in the game in the final minute as he parried Emanuele Giaccherini’s effort to safety.

But his side were unable to find an equaliser and it is Sunderland who will be in the hat for Sunday's Sixth Round draw.

Sunderland (4-3-3): Ustari; Celustka, Vergini, O'Shea (C), Dossena (Alonso, 77); Cattermole, Larsson, Giaccherini; Gardner (Colback, 82), Scocco (Wickham, 69), Borini.

Substitutes not used: Mannone, Yueng, Roberge, Mavrias

Goals: Gardner (50)

Bookings: Larsson (90+1)

Southampton (4-3-3): K Davis (C); Clyne, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Shaw; S Davis, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse (Schneiderlin, 62); Lallana (McQueen, 82), do Prado (Rodriguez, 62), Lambert.

Substitutes not used: Gazzaniga, Fonte, Chambers, Cork.

Bookings: Yoshida (25), S Davis (43), Rodriguez (90)

Referee: Mike Dean

Attendance: 16,777