London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Grimsby stun Southampton to reach FA Cup last eight

Grimsby stun Southampton to reach FA Cup last eight

League Two Grimsby Town reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 84 years as penalties either side of half-time stunned Premier League strugglers Southampton.

Gavan Holohan put the visitors ahead shortly before the interval after referee Thomas Bramall ruled Lyanco had blocked Josh Emmanuel's cross with his arm.

Southampton defender Duje Caleta-Car then caught Danilo Orsi with a flailing hand not long after the restart, allowing Holohan to convert his second spot-kick of the game.

Caleta-Car's close-range finish gave Saints hope and Theo Walcott had a late equaliser ruled out for offside as Grimsby held on to spark scenes of mass celebration among the 4,000 travelling Mariners fans, who can now look forward to a trip to Brighton in the last eight.

Grimsby are just the sixth team from the fourth tier or below to reach the last eight of the FA Cup since the introduction of the division in 1958-59 - and the first since National League Lincoln City shocked Premier League Burnley in 2017.

They are the 13th side from the fourth division or below to have beaten top-flight opponents in the competition since the Football League was rebranded at the start of the 2004-05 campaign.


Dreamland for Mariners


Having beaten Plymouth Argyle, Cambridge United, Burton Albion and Luton Town in their previous rounds, Grimsby can now look forward to a first quarter-final since the 1938-39 season after a remarkable victory over the Premier League's bottom club.

The final whistle was met by a mix of jubilant cheers from the away end and loud boos from the home supporters, whose wretched season took another downturn against a side sitting 64 places below them in the league pyramid.

Saints manager Ruben Selles made nine changes to the team beaten by Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, and those alterations appeared to contribute to a lack of fluency in the hosts' play in the first half as they struggled to break down their plucky opponents.

Sekou Mara should have done better when he shot straight at former Southport goalkeeper Max Crocombe from Romeo Lavia's pass, although the Southampton striker might have been penalised for offside had he managed to find the net.

Mara was denied a goal by the linesman's flag after steering Moussa Djenepo's cut-back past Crocombe, the Saints winger ruled offside in the build-up to the relief of the travelling supporters behind the goal.

The 4,000-strong Grimsby contingent who made the 460-mile round trip to the south coast had little to shout about until five minutes before the interval, when Emmanuel's delivery struck Lyanco on the arm.

An agonising wait followed as VAR reviewed the incident, but Bramall was eventually called over to his pitchside monitor by VAR and after watching the moment of contact from several angles, he pointed to the spot.

Holohan made no mistake, sending Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy the wrong way to send the Grimsby fans wild at the other end of the ground.

Things went from bad to worse for Saints in the opening stages of the second half as Caleta-Car inexplicably swung an arm at Orsi inside the penalty area, giving Bramall little choice but to award another penalty.

For the second time in the game Holohan sent a magnificent spot-kick past McCarthy to put the Mariners on the brink of an astonishing upset.

After Caleta-Car's finish set up a nail-biting final 25 minutes, Southampton thought they had restored parity when Walcott slotted home in the closing stages, but the former Arsenal man was ruled narrowly offside following another VAR review.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×