A stunning strike from Craig Gardner helped knockout specialists Sunderland beat Southampton 1-0 on Saturday to move into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, according to Reuters. Sunderland, who have already reached the League Cup final, again put their Premier League struggles to one side in front of a sparsely populated Stadium of Light as Gardner thundered a second-half shot into the top corner from 25 metres. Southampton, who rested players despite being comfortably positioned in mid-table, should have levelled late on when England striker Rickie Lambert shot over an open goal from one metre. Twice FA Cup winners Sunderland, who face a relegation battle and play Manchester City in the League Cup final on March 2, understandably made nine changes to their side. However, there seemed little reason for Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino to shake up his team with Victor Wanyama and James Ward-Prowse coming into the midfield and Kelvin Davis replacing Artur Boruc in goal among the changes he made. -- SPA 19:19 LOCAL TIME 16:19 GMT تغريد
