Southampton fire cheeky Portsmouth FC dig after FA Cup shock v Arsenal | OneFootball

Saints downed the Premier League leaders in a thrilling cup tie on Saturday night

Southampton are now the only remaining EFL representatives in this season's FA Cup as they downed Premier League leaders, Arsenal, at St Mary's on Saturday night.

Tonda Eckert's side are currently riding the crest of a wave, as they stretched their unbeaten run to 15 matches in all competitions with this victory.

It was a classic FA Cup tie on show on the South Coast too, with Saints paying homage to the heroes of 1976 by sporting a yellow kit in reference to their triumph over Manchester United at the Old Wembley.

Despite their aforementioned unbeaten streak, not many gave Eckert's confident and energetic side the greatest of chances against Mikel Arteta's side, who have now been defeated in two cup competitions in a matter of as many weeks, with it being their first encounter after losing the EFL Cup final 2-0 to Manchester City on March 22nd.

Saints, though, were extremely resilient in defence, with the likes of Daniel Peretz, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Nathan Wood amongst those who impressed the most, whilst Leo Scienza - whose performance was certainly being monitored - and Ross Stewart caused plenty of havoc in forward areas.

It was, indeed, the Scot who got the ball rolling in terms of the scoreline, before Shea Charles came off the bench to restore the lead after Viktor Gyokeres had initially been drafted on to level the scores for the Gunners.

Saints have now defeated Premier League opposition in back-to-back rounds and will learn the identity of their semi-final opponents later on Sunday, as they have reached this stage of the competition for the first time in five years, although it has been 23 since their last appearance in the final - ironically against Arsenal.

And, it's fair to say they marked the victory in many ways, including firing a dig towards bitter rivals, Portsmouth.

Southampton FC fire dig at Portsmouth after downing Arsenal in FA Cup quarter-final

It was an extremely impressive and statement performance from Eckert's team in every department, and unsurprisingly, they and the masses of Saints supporters were basking in their achievement of reaching Wembley after the full-time whistle.

This is the club's first trip back to the national stadium since defeating Leeds United in the Championship play-off final 23 months ago, and it may not be the only time Saints fans watch their side under the arch in the next month or so if they can pin down one of the four play-off spots on offer in the second tier.

However, in defeating the Gunners, they have been able to do what only a handful of sides have done this season, but that doesn't include Pompey.

John Mousinho's side, of course, were Arteta's side's first victims on route to the FA Cup quarter-final, with the North London side emerging 4-1 victors at Fratton Park in the third round on January 11th.

At the time, Portsmouth's official X account's summation of the game was: "A valiant effort from the Blues, but we exit the @EmiratesFACup."

However, after their historic victory, Saints were seen throwing some shade at their South Coast rivals, with the caption of: "Beating Arsenal isn't for everyone," followed by a smirk emoji.

Southampton FC face intense Championship, FA Cup run-in after sealing semi-final spot

Although the feat of reaching the semi-final stage in such a manner deserves to be celebrated, Saints will now face an extremely intense fixture run-in between now and the end of the regular Championship season on May 2nd.

Their clash against Arsenal already meant that their home clash with Ipswich Town had to be rescheduled from Good Friday to the initial date of Tuesday, April 28th, although this could also, again, be moved, depending on whether their semi-final fixture is played on Saturday, April 25th or Sunday, April 26th.

Furthermore, it also means that another home fixture against Blackburn Rovers will be re-arranged, and there is the overall possibility that between now and May 23rd, should Saints reach the play-offs and potentially make the FA Cup and play-off finals- they could be involved in 12 more fixtures.