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#SaintsFC will be ball number
in tonight’s #EmiratesFACup quarter final draw!
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| Southampton player ratings: West Brom (A) | Southampton progressed on into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after a 2-1 win over West Brom away from home. The … 17-02-2018 |
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Proud of the team today. We sticked together until the end and we’re in the next round. Buzzing with my first goal… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/964921273217404929
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Get the verdict of #SaintsFC boss Mauricio Pellegrino after he watched his side march on in the #EmiratesFACup:
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#SaintsFC will face #WAFC or #MCFC in the #EmiratesFACup quarter final away from home:
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Now the dust has settled on that @EmiratesFACup tie at The Hawthorns,
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Sourced from Mirror.co.uk article
West Brom’s nightmare week gets worse with FA Cup defeat to Southampton
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Premier League basement club West Brom’s nightmare week ended in dismal fashion as Southampton dumped them out of the FA Cup fifth round.
Alan Pardew’s Baggies achieved notoriety when four senior stars apologised after being quizzed by cops for allegedly stealing a taxi in Barcelona after breaking a curfew on a warm weather training trip.
Culprits Jonny Evans and Gareth Barry both started while Boaz Myhill was on the bench and Jake Livermore absent, presumed injured.
Gareth McAuley was named skipper ahead of Evans and Barry was eventually subbed with Albion heading towards to the exit.
They fell behind to goals 11 minutes into each half from Wesley Hoedt and then Dusan Tadic.
Salomon Rondon fired in a brilliant volley to halve the deficit but the hosts lacked spirit, fight and organisation as their shambolic season continues to disintegrate.
Pardew promised on Friday that Albion “were in the mood for a football match” after the Barcelona debacle, in which their boss also had his wallet and phone stolen.
But there was no evidence of much fight early on at The Hawthorns. Poor marking at a corner enabled Hoedt to fire the visitors ahead in the 11 minute.
Then at another James Ward-Prowse corner soon after, Ben Foster needed to make a good save from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s right-foot shot.
It needed a vital tackle from Evans on Tadic to ensure it was just 1-0 at the break.
Albion improved in the second half when they forced Alex McCarthy into a series of saves from James Rodriguez and Grzegorz Krychowiak.
But it was Saints who scored again with a clinical breakaway and composed lofted finish in the 56 minute by Tadic from Guido Carrillo’s clever lofted pass.
Albion got a lifeline in the 58th minute when Rondon smashed in a brilliant left-foot volley from Krychowiak’s long ball.
Ahmed Hegazi also hit the bar in the closing stages but Southampton held out for a second win at The Hawthorns this month.
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Sourced from Daily Mail article
West Brom 1-2 Southampton: Saints through to FA Cup last 8
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The rally was not enough but West Brom, deep in chaos with Alan Pardew’s future hanging in the balance even before the infamous Barcelona taxi heist of 2018, at least showed they still care.
Southampton’s door was thumped, their crossbar struck, their goal guarded heroically. Pardew deserved a replay and pointed to a gutsy second-half performance. He will do similar if asked to explain an eighth defeat in charge by owner Guochuan Lai.
There are definitely things to take from this into the Premier League. The crowd was frenzied, the players pumped up. Unusually so and maybe the jaunt to Spain, however embarrassing and whatever the legal ramifications, can galvanise a team seven points adrift at the division’s foot.
Yet they are still out of the FA Cup, even after Ahmed Hegazi hit the bar late on and Ryan Bertrand headed off the line from Salomon Rondon’s follow-up. Rondon had scored a sensational goal to give West Brom hope at 2-0 down but an equaliser proved too far.
Pardew looked disconsolate at full-time but positives can be taken. For Mauricio Pellegrino, also worrying about his employment, this was a strong riposte to Southampton’s critics.
‘It’s not what you deserve, it’s about efficiency,’ Pellegrino said. ‘We were always dangerous on the counter. The spirit was really good, something we were talking about last week.’
These are trying times at West Brom. The chairman, John Williams, and chief executive Martin Goodman were sacked and Pardew fears he is next. And then the breaking of a curfew by four of the club’s most experienced players – Gareth Barry, Jonny Evans, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill - in Barcelona 48 hours before a fifth-round tie.
With taxi stolen and driver stranded in a McDonald’s in the Olympic Port area, they drove off to their boutique hotel, The One, three miles. Stupidity and crisis don’t seem to do this justice. Spanish police are investigating and so is the club.
Of the Cab Four, Pardew picked Evans, yet stripped him of the captaincy. ‘Jonny was very good considering the circumstances,’ Pardew said. He will make a permanent decision about the armband this week. Barry patrolled midfield when otherwise he might’ve been rested. Go and prove a point seemed to be the message.
All they proved early was the amateurism engulfing Pardew’s troublesome reign continues. Wesley Hoedt’s opener was laughable in its simplicity in the 11th minute. James Ward-Prowse’s corner had whip away from Ben Foster but was primed for a big central defender to head clear comfortably. Unfortunately for West Brom, minds are currently muddled.
Gareth McAuley and Craig Dawson were both sucked into dashing towards the near post with Guido Carrillo. Desperately, the delivery evaded them. You could almost hear Hoedt laugh as he passed in unmarked from six yards.
It was pathetic, if we are completely honest. Under Pardew, and Tony Pulis before him, these players have lost the ability to defend set pieces, an aspect of the game they had prided themselves on last season. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg almost capitalised on another defensive calamity too.
Only Brighton, Leicester and Watford have conceded more from set plays this term. With the defensive ability at West Brom’s disposal, this is clearly a mentality problem. Pardew could be forgiven for tweaking that famous old Harold Macmillan quote. What poses the most obvious threat to West Brom? Basics, dear boy, basics.
The home supporters were exceptional and credit to them for that after the catastrophe of the last few days. The Hawthorns wanted this to become an afternoon of defiance, the start of something. It did eventually as Jay Rodriguez and James McClean marched like men possessed after half-time. Both should be commended because they got West Brom moving.
‘We looked edgy first half. Second half we showed more confidence, guile and energy in fact,’ Pardew added.
Grzegorz Krychowiak’s long-range effort was deflected wide and Hegazi flicked beyond the far post as the ante was upped. Pardew had head in hands yet here felt a spark - which then went out seconds later. Southampton flew forward on the counter 11 minutes after the restart, Carrillo lobbing to Dusan Tadic and Tadic exquisitely doing the same to Foster.
A wonderful goal and one which should have put the visitors out of sight, particularly given Hegazi crouched forlornly and Evans wandered aimlessly in the immediate aftermath. West Brom’s players looked lonely.
There was a twist, however. A twist both majestic and raw simultaneously two minutes later as Krychowiak looked up on halfway and saw Rondon peel off his man. The ball looped over the top, Rondon’s eyes widened and then the contact: crisp, true, a meaty volley with the poise of Marco Van Basten all those years ago.
Hegazi then thought he equalised, only for Southampton to somehow clear his certain goal off the line. The same happened as full-time approached. This was a different West Brom, one fuelled by aggression. Replicate that against Huddersfield next weekend and they may have a fighting chance, providing the basic mistakes are corrected.
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Sourced from The Independent article
Southampton book spot in FA Cup quarters to heap further misery on crisis-struck West Brom
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A crisis-ridden week for West Bromwich Albion ended with further misery as Alan Pardew’s chastened side bowed out of the FA Cup at a disgruntled Hawthorns.
Two days after a broken curfew, an allegedly stolen taxi and a brush with Catalan police plunged Albion’s season-from-hell into the realms of farce, Southampton added further ignominy by advancing to the quarter-finals.
There will be no emotional cup triumph for the Baggies 50 years since they last lifted the trophy and claimed their most recent major honour.
Instead, some calamitous defending followed by some late misfortune in front of goal left a beleaguered Alan Pardew with just 11 Premier League games to save West Brom’s top-flight lives and probably his own job while Mauricio Pellegrino’s Saints can look forward to a place in the last eight.
Salomon Rondon’s brilliant goal on 58 minutes gave Pardew’s side some hope of a comeback but by then they trailed 2-0, having all but gifted goals to Wesley Hoedt on 11 minutes and Dusan Tadic on 56.
Two of the ‘Cab Four’, who are under investigation by the club and police following the alleged theft of a taxi at a training camp in Barcelona, started the game but Jonny Evans was stripped of the captaincy while Gareth Barry was booed when he was substituted near the end.
Having overseen the trip to Spain and having won just one of his 13 league games in charge, Pardew is now fighting for his own future at a bottom-of-the-table club that this week sacked the chairman and chief executive who appointed him.
The home side fell behind on 12 minutes to the kind of goal that keeps set-piece coaches awake at night.
James Ward-Prowse delivered a corner from the right, two West Brom players were drawn to the ball at the near post and Hoedt was left in yards of space to side-foot into the bottom corner from six yards.
There were jubilant cheers from travelling fans but a stony silence from the sparsely populated Albion sections of the ground.
Albion offered a response of sort, winning a free-kick that Salomon Rondon rifled into the defensive wall and forcing a corner from which they could have equalised.
Matt Phillips’ flag-kick was returned into the goalmouth and Craig Dawson leapt highest but his difficult header looped over.
Another corner to Southampton caused chaos in the Albion ranks with Dawson forced into a crucial block on the line from a Pierre Emile-Hojberg shot to prevent a second Saints goal.
There were two chances early in the second half for a West Brom equaliser with Alex McCarthy in the Southampton goal twice coming to his side’s rescue.
First came a diving save with his fingertips to keep out a shot by Jay Rodriguez following an error by Jack Stephens.
Then, from the resulting corner, McCarthy pushed a header from Dawson over the crossbar.
There was another telling contribution from McCarthy moments later when he reacted to turn a deflected shot from Krychowiak around the post, and he was rewarded on 56 minutes when his side claimed their second goal.
It was more shambolic play from a home defence that went AWOL with Krychowiak left forlornly marking Tadic, who collected a high ball and tricked his way past the Pole before chipping a shot past Ben Foster.
Just two minutes later the lead was halved in style by Rondon, when he peeled away from his marker and met a lofted Krychowiak pass with a fabulous first-time shot with his left foot that flew past McCarthy.
And, with the home crowd sensing an improbable fightback, McCarthy excelled again with a reaction save to deny Ahmed Hegazi a scrambled equaliser with his head.
There was further misfortune for the hosts with nine minutes remaining as Hegazi’s swivelling half-volley struck the crossbar and Rondon’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Ryan Bertrand.
Yet that moment hinted at an afternoon, and perhaps a managerial tenure, that is simply destined to end in disappointment.
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Sourced from talkSPORT article
West Brom 1-2 Southampton: Taxi for the Baggies as they are dumped out of FA Cup
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A bad week off the pitch for West Brom got worse on it as they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton at The Hawthorns.
Boardroom upheaval and (alleged) Grand Theft Auto in Spain provided an unwanted distraction ahead of Saturday’s fifth round tie, but the FA Cup had provided West Brom with some salvation this season.
Perhaps a siege mentality could conjure up another much-needed win like the one at Exeter at the start of January? Or the only outstanding performance of the campaign at Anfield against Liverpool last month?
It was not to be. Goals at the beginning of each half from Wesley Hoedt and Dusan Tadic saw Southampton progress to the quarter-finals, despite a superb reply from Salomon Rondon making the final score 2-1.
West Brom’s week began with the sacking of chairman John Williams and chief executive Martin Goodman on Tuesday.
That was followed by the club, who are bottom of the Premier League and under threat from relegation, finding itself front and back page news heading into Saturday’s match after allegations that senior players Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill had stolen a taxi during the training camp in Barcelona this week.
Two of the dubbed “taxi four” started against Southampton, with Evans and Barry named in the team, although Evans appeared to have been stripped of the captaincy as Gareth McAuley skippered the side. Back-up goalkeeper Myhill was on the bench but Livermore was out injured.
Evans and Barry both had their names booed by a small section of the home support as the teams were announced just before kick-off. Things did not improve for Evans as West Brom made the worst possible start, falling behind after 11 minutes.
The defender was one of two Albion players to be dragged beneath the ball to the front post at a James Ward-Prowse corner, leaving Hoedt unmarked to volley the ball past Ben Foster from 10 yards out.
It was a huge setback and Southampton assumed total control, without ever really threatening to add to their lead during the first half.
West Brom’s best effort before the break was a 25-yard strike from James McClean which whistled wide.
It got even worse for the hosts when Tadic rounded off a sweeping counter attack by flicking the ball over Foster to double Southampton’s lead after 56 minutes.
Cue more booing from some home fans. However, the mood was soon lifted when Rondon crashed home a volley from the left side of the penalty area from Grzegorz Krychowiak’s ball over the top two minutes later.
It finally sprung West Brom into life and McClean and Matty Phillips both threatened as Alan Pardew’s team pushed for a quick equaliser.
Southampton survived another wave of West Brom attacks with 10 minutes remaining. Ahmed Hegazi hooked an effort against the crossbar following a set-piece and after Saints struggled to clear the ball, Rondon saw a shot headed off the line by Redmond.
Foster kept his team in it by denying Ward-Prowse at the beginning of four minutes of injury time but West Brom were unable to force another goal at the death for a replay.
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Sourced from The Telegraph article
West Brom 1 Southampton 2: Taxi for Alan Pardew as defeat leaves his future hanging in the balance
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Head coach Alan Pardew’s future at West Bromwich Albion is hanging by an ever-thinning thread after a regrettable week for the club ended with a fifth-round defeat in the FA Cup.
Pardew was keen to avoid more questions about last week’s disastrous training trip to Barcelona but admitted he needed to “make a little bit of a statement” by stripping Jonny Evans of the captaincy. Evans, under investigation by Spanish police over the alleged theft of a taxi in the Catalan capital in the early hours of Thursday, is likely to face more disciplinary action, along with co-accused Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill, after the club promised a “full and rigorous” investigation into what happened.
This will include questioning Pardew over whether he has lost control of discipline in his squad at a time when results have put him under intense pressure anyway. Albion have won only one match of their last 25 in the Premier League, one in 13 since Pardew succeeded Tony Pulis in November, and are seven points adrift of safety in the table.
But Pardew defended the team’s record in that respect, insisting that “one crazy evening” should not detract from the reputation of his players.
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Sourced from Sky Sports article
West Brom 1-2 Southampton: Wesley Hoedt and Dusan Tadic pile misery on hosts
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After a difficult week off the pitch, West Brom were knocked out of the FA Cup at the fifth-round stage after a 2-1 loss at home to Southampton.
Alan Pardew handed starting berths to Jonny Evans and Gareth Barry, two of the players who were forced to apologise after breaking a club curfew during West Brom’s mid-winter break in Barcelona this week, but Evans was stripped of the captain’s armband.
Southampton took an 11th-minute lead when Wesley Hoedt ghosted in unmarked to volley home from a corner, before Dusan Tadic put Saints within touching distance of the last eight with a well-taken goal in the 58th minute.
A stunning volley from Salomon Rondon pulled a goal back two minutes later, but Saints held on to book a first FA Cup quarter-final spot since 2005.
The events of the week seemed to have taken their toll on the West Brom players as they struggled to find any rhythm, and soon enough they were behind.
James Ward-Prowse whipped a corner into the middle, two West Brom defenders missed it, and Hoedt was on hand, in acres of space, to steer a volley into the bottom corner.
Saints could have gone two goals to the good, but were denied by a smart Ben Foster stop after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had steered the ball towards goal.
Down the other end, West Brom were lumping plenty of balls into the box, but Jack Stephens and Hoedt were dealing with such service easily. The closest the hosts came to an equaliser in the first half was via the boot of James McClean, but his fierce strike sailed wide.
The action intensified after the break, with Alex McCarthy called into action, making several stops to keep his side in front, the best of which was a fine save to tip Grzegorz Krychowiak’s deflected strike around the post.
Those saves proved vital, as Tadic doubled Saints’ lead. The ball into him was pinpoint from Guido Carrillo, Tadic controlled, benefited from a fortunate bounce, before clipping the ball over the onrushing Foster into the net.
However, in the blink of an eye and West Brom were back in it. Krychowiak searched out Rondon with the long ball, the West Brom striker let the ball drop over his shoulder, before rifling the volley into the net from fully 25 yards.
McCarthy again clawed the ball out from a corner as West Brom pressed for a leveller, but the closest the hosts came to restoring parity came late on, as Ahmed Hegazi’s looping effort came down off the crossbar.
Since beating Liverpool in the last round of the FA Cup, West Brom have lost all four of their matches, conceding at least twice in each match.
Southampton won twice away from home in the same calendar month against an opponent for the first time in their entire history.
Wesley Hoedt scored his first Southampton goal and his first since netting in a 7-3 win for Lazio against Sampdoria in May 2017.
James Ward-Prowse has had a hand in five goals in his last five appearances against West Brom in all competitions (three goals, two assists).
Alan Pardew: “I felt I needed to make a little bit of a statement about the events. I was far from happy over them and made Gareth captain today. I’ve got to stay faithful to the players and give them a chance to remedy the situation. Gareth Barry was okay today but I thought Jonny was very good actually in the circumstances.”
Mauricio Pellegrino: “I think the win is important for many reasons. The first one is the belief of the team to improve. I think the spirit of the team was really good. It is something we were talking about last week, even in difficult situations like at the end. We were competing well and were focused. In a physical battle they are really strong and also we gave an opportunity to other players who have not played so much in the past month.”
For large swathes of the match, McCarthy was idle, with West Brom struggling to create many chances. However, in the second half, McCarthy made three fine stops in quick succession to ensure his side stayed in front. The fact he stayed so alert, after being untested for so long, deserves great acclaim.
The Premier League returns next week, with West Brom hosting Huddersfield, while Southampton travel to Burnley.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 17/02/2018 20:46:16
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| Pardew stripped Evans of West Brom captaincy to make statementIRELANDCOM |
| | BOING |
| | FA Cup: West Brom 1 Southampton 2 | Goal.comGOALDOTCOM |
|| Result: Saints beat WBA to reach FA Cup quartersSPORTSMOLE |
| | Albion 1 Southampton 2WESTBROMWICHALBIONFC |
|| Rondon scores fantastic volley for West Brom vs. Southampton | 2017-18 FA Cup Highlights (VIDEO)FOXSPORTS | ...unfalteringly originated by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!
Sourced from ESPN FC article
West Bromwich Albion vs. Southampton - Football Match Report - February 17, 2018 - ESPN
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A bad week off the pitch for West Brom got worse on it as they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton at The Hawthorns.
Boardroom upheaval and hijinx in Spain provided an unwanted distraction ahead of Saturday’s fifth round tie, but the FA Cup had provided West Brom with some salvation this season.
Perhaps a siege mentality could conjure up another much-needed win like the one at Exeter at the start of January? Or the only outstanding performance of the campaign at Anfield against Liverpool last month?
It was not to be. Goals at the beginning of each half from Wesley Hoedt and Dusan Tadic saw Southampton progress to the quarter-finals, despite a superb reply from Salomon Rondon making the final score 2-1.
West Brom’s week began with the sacking of chairman John Williams and chief executive Martin Goodman on Tuesday.
That was followed by the club, who are bottom of the Premier League and under threat from relegation, finding itself front and back page news heading into Saturday’s match after allegations that senior players Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill had stolen a taxi during the training camp in Barcelona this week.
Two of the dubbed ``taxi four’’ started against Southampton, with Evans and Barry named in the team, although Evans appeared to have been stripped of the captaincy as Gareth McAuley skippered the side. Back-up goalkeeper Myhill was on the bench but Livermore was out injured.
Evans and Barry both had their names booed by a small section of the home support as the teams were announced just before kick-off. Things did not improve for Evans as West Brom made the worst possible start, falling behind after 11 minutes.
The defender was one of two Albion players to be dragged beneath the ball to the front post at a James Ward-Prowse corner, leaving Hoedt unmarked to volley the ball past Ben Foster from 10 yards out.
It was a huge setback and Southampton assumed total control, without ever really threatening to add to their lead during the first half.
West Brom’s best effort before the break was a 25-yard strike from James McClean which whistled wide.
It got even worse for the hosts when Tadic rounded off a sweeping counter attack by flicking the ball over Foster to double Southampton’s lead after 56 minutes.
Cue more booing from some home fans. However, the mood was soon lifted when Rondon crashed home a volley from the left side of the penalty area from Grzegorz Krychowiak’s ball over the top two minutes later.
It finally sprung West Brom into life and McClean and Matty Phillips both threatened as Alan Pardew’s team pushed for a quick equaliser.
Southampton survived another wave of West Brom attacks with 10 minutes remaining. Ahmed Hegazi hooked an effort against the crossbar following a set-piece and after Saints struggled to clear the ball, Rondon saw a shot headed off the line by Redmond.
Foster kept his team in it by denying Ward-Prowse at the beginning of four minutes of injury time but West Brom were unable to force another goal at the death for a replay.
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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article
Fleming hails defensive strength
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Saints’ teenage cohort were put under pressure early on, but sealed the victory courtesy of a special finish from 16-year-old Sean Brennan, who evaded the offside trap before deftly lobbing the ball over Villa’s onrushing goalkeeper.
The victory means that Fleming’s side keep pace with Arsenal and Chelsea at the top of the table, while the clean sheet is also Saints’ eighth shutout of the league campaign.
“It was quite scrappy, on a very tight pitch but I thought we dealt with that well,” Fleming commented. "We ground out three points and Sean took his goal very well.
"Chances were quite scarce, we maybe had one more two half chances more. Sean showed some good composure with the finish that has won us the game.
"We looked strong defensively, Villa huffed and puffed but I thought we were comfortable. Christoph [Klarer] has been solid throughout, and [Adam] Parkes did everything required of him.
"We didn’t have much space to be able to get our regular passing game going. It was just one of those scruffy days where you have to dig in to find a result.
“We wanted to be fair to the lads who have performed so well in recent weeks, in terms of team selection, and now we look forward to next week against Swansea.”
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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article
Saints book quarter-final spot
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Following the 3-2 win in the Premier League a fortnight earlier, Mauricio Pellegrino’s side withstood some late pressure once again to secure victory in this fifth-round tie and keep the dream of a major trophy alive.
Saints’ first appearance in the last eight of the competition since 2005 was earned thanks to a first goal from the club for Wesley Hoedt and a sublime Dušan Tadić finish, with the visitors then holding on despite a rally from the hosts sparked by Salomon Rondon’s spectacular volley.
Pellegrino was dealt a blow ahead of the game, with Sofiane Boufal, Steven Davis and Maya Yoshida all picking up injuries late in the week that meant they could not make the trip, joining Shane Long on the sidelines.
There was just one change to the team, though, as Nathan Redmond was restored to the starting line-up for the first time since Boxing Day.
It was Saints who started as the more composed side and, unlike when they visited The Hawthorns two weeks previously in the Premier League, this time it was they who took the early lead.
After Cédric forced a corner, James Ward-Prowse stepped up to swing the ball in, picking out an unmarked Wesley Hoedt six yards out, with the defender slamming a low shot into the bottom corner for his first Southampton goal.
That 11th-minute effort was almost followed up in the 18th minute with what would have been another first Saints strike, this time for Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, who latched onto a dangerous cross at the back post, only to see his low strike from a tight angle cleared off the line.
While Saints were looking in control, there was the occasional reminder of some threat from the home side, notably in the 21st minute, as James McClean drove forward and fizzed a shot just wide from 25 yards.
Mario Lemina also had to block well from a Matt Phillips effort, after the ball had dropped to the Albion player during a scramble in the area, but Alex McCarthy reached the interval without being seriously tested.
Saints themselves had created one or two additional chances to extend their lead before the break, the best of which was when Redmond raced down the left in the 39th minute and played the ball inside to Dušan Tadić, only for a last-ditch challenge from Jonny Evans to prevent him getting a clear shot on goal.
If McCarthy had little to do in the first half, his attentions were very much required in the opening minutes of the second.
After a Hoedt slip, the keeper did well to dive low to his left to tip Jay Rodriguez’s shot wide of the far post, before then pushing over Craig Dawson’s header from the resulting corner.
An even better save was required in the 54th minute, as Hoedt inadvertently deflected a Grzegorz Krychowiak shot, wrong-footing McCarthy, but he readjusted brilliantly, diving low to his left to tip the ball wide.
It proved a vital stop, as Saints scored their second of the afternoon moments later.
Tadić latched onto the ball through the middle and showed tremendous composure, shifting it back into space and onto his left foot, before lifting it calmly over Ben Foster and into the back of the net, putting Pellegrino’s men within touching distance of the last eight.
Any sense of comfort quickly disappeared, though, as West Brom responded almost immediately.
Krychowiak’s cross-field ball in the 58th minute picked out Salomon Rondon on the left side of the area and he rifled a volley past McCarthy to make it 2-1.
McCarthy had to make a fine stop moments later to prevent a West Brom equaliser, pushing the ball away from the top corner, after it was nodded goalwards during a scramble inside the six-yard area.
Saints’ first change arrived with just under 20 minutes remaining, as Pellegrino sent on Manolo Gabbiadini in place of Redmond, before Oriol Romeu was introduced for Højbjerg in the 77th minute.
The visitors survived a huge scare with just nine minutes left in the game, as Ahmed Hegazi’s bouncing volley from a corner hit the bar, with Ryan Bertrand then nodding off the line after Rondon had looped a header towards the far corner from the rebound.
Pellegrino made his final change six minutes from the end, sending on Josh Sims in place of Guido Carrillo, and he came close to setting up Ward-Prowse for a third as the game entered stoppage time, breaking away down the right and squaring the ball, only for the midfielder’s shot to be beaten away.
It didn’t matter, though, as Saints had done enough already to keep their hopes of a second Wembley appearance in two seasons alive.
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Tadić added to Wesley Hoedt’s first-half strike with a delightful dink over Ben Forster to make it 2-0.
And Saints then stood up to a physical battle from the hosts late on to secure their passage.
“We are very happy because we showed great character to fight against a physical and strong team, especially in the second-half,” Tadić reflected.
“It was very important to get an early goal. I think from the started we had a control on the game.
“In the second-half it was a little bit difficult because they played direct and you need to defend against that. We showed we can do that.”
That sort of team spirit will be needed in the coming weeks, and Tadić is hoping to take confidence into an important Premier League clash with Burnley.
On his goal, Tadić said: “It was a nice finish but I am more pleased with our team work today. Nathan played a nice ball to Guido who found me and that’s the most important thing.
“We will have these kind of teams in the rest of the season. Next game we have Burnley who also physical and we need to compete against them.
It’s a lot about confidence and I think we are going in the right direction. We will give our best with our fans to go on from this period and win against Burnley.”
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U18 Report: Aston Villa 0-1 Saints
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Sean Brennan netted the only goal of the game, with the quality befitting of a match-winner, as he dispatched a bold chip over Villa’s stranded 'keeper in the first half.
The visitors clean sheet was also warranted, with manful defensive performances from Saints’ centre-half pairing, as well as stopper Adam Parkes. A hard-fought three points then, but rightful nonetheless.
But it didn’t all fall the way of the visitors, who had to be alert when, with mere seconds on the clock, Villa’s Michael Tait had threaded the ball through to Dimitri Sea, who rounded Parkes but ran out of grass before the angled finish was dispatched.
Under uncomfortable pressure from the off, Tait fired a second warning shot in the sixth minute, but perhaps should have done better given the range, sending the ball wildly over the upright.
But it was Saints who drew first blood, and finished the half the stronger. Pouncing on a relatively innocuous Villa goal-kick, Saints won the aerial duel before Dan Bartlett looped a pass over the top to Brennan, who completed a smart move to give Craig Fleming’s side the lead against the run of play.
The midfielder, sensing an opportunity looming, had made an unmanned forward run and sent an audacious chip over the onrushing Kieran Boucher, who was helpless to the danger. The finish was shrewd, and swung the momentum the way of Saints.
Will Smallbone, continuing the assault, charged forwards on the half-hour mark, forcing Boucher to make a low one-handed save, before the Villa stopper denied goalscorer Brennan from close range.
Absorbing the early pressure served as adequate wake up call for Saints’ young charges, who commanded the remainder of the half, and entered the break with a deserved advantage.
Captain Christoph Klarer was marshalling the backline well, mopping up any loose aerial balls, with Villa opting to go long after the restart. Slick in possession, and organised out of it, Saints continued to dominate their Midlands counterparts.
With half-chances to capitalise squandered, it was the home side who nearly seized. Saints were ambushed on the break, but Klarer typically won first contact on the delivery from wide, before full-back Josh Williams lashed a volley marginally wide of Parkes’s goal. The skipper’s positioning and spacial awareness at centre-half was getting Saints out of trouble on numerous occasions.
The game opened up on 75 minutes, as Saints looked to protect their gains, while Villa probed for a leveller. Smallbone’s burst presented Kornelius Hansen with a chance on the left, but the Norwegian’s first touch was wayward and allowed Villa’s retreating defenders to recover.
Parkes was nearly caught out ten minutes from time. A shot-come-cross was fired in from the right, with the flight of the ball awkward for the backtracking stopper, who managed to cleanly divert the delivery over his bar.
A final chance fell to the hosts. A free-kick situation, central and within 20 yards of goal, was struck by Williams, but failed to trouble Parkes - whose praiseworthy performance merited a clean sheet.
Fleming’s in-form youngsters continued to keep pace with table toppers Arsenal and Chelsea after securing the three points - their eighth league triumph of a previous nine played.
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