Southampton fans will now be tentatively dreaming of a trip to Wembley in the FA Cup, and not just via the dramatic route of the Championship playoffs, after seeing their beloved Saints confidently upset Fulham 1-0 on Sunday.
The Premier League hosts would have been expected to pick up a win to seal their own progression through to the next round of the historic competition, as the Cottagers are a well-established top-flight team under the guidance of Marco Silva.
However, the plucky visitors from the South Coast had other ideas, as Ross Stewart's late penalty has steered Tonda Eckert's men into another FA Cup quarter final showdown, having reached this exact same position just four years ago.
It was far from being the prettiest performance at points by the Saints, but they got the job done in the end, having had to endure 24 shots being fired at the away side's busy goal.
Southampton's battling performance won them the tie
On another day, the quality of the Premier League side would have been on full display, as Eckert and Co. crashed out to a one-sided loss.
Thankfully, lady luck was on Southampton's side throughout, as well as the Championship outfit being brave enough to battl for every ball and scrap, to ensure a Cup upset was on the cards.
Taylor Harwood-Bells, in particular, summed up the overall doggedness from Eckert's men when winning five tackles and duels during an exhausting 90-minute showing, to keep the likes of Rodrigo Muniz for the hosts firmly at bay.
Southampton also have the heroics of their goalkeeper to thank in Bayern Munich loanee Daniel Peretz, who is loving life in England to date, as he collected another clean sheet to add to his early Saints tally in London.
Overall, he has contributed to five shut-outs, already, since making the January switch, from just 11 games for Eckert's men.
Amassing six vital saves throughout at Craven Cottage, too, the impressive 25-year-old was one of many Saints shirts who would come off at the end with praise aplenty, but he was modest when reflecting on the drama of the tie, post-match.
Peretz's modest post-match comments
Without Peretz in between the sticks, Southampton might have struggled to get the better of their intimdating Premier League opponents.
The crucial number 41 was rather understated at the close of the 1-0 win about his vital role, though, as he went about praising the likes of Harwood-Bellis in front of him, for the tight defensive display.
He went out of his way to praise the 'collective' nature of the clean sheet, when speaking to Southampton's official website, after, by saying:
“I think a clean sheet is a collective thing – all the team worked for it and each one has his moment; if it’s the way we press, the way we defend, or me – the way I save – it’s a collective thing,” he said, modestly.
This is the basic for us, to work together as a defence. We know we have the quality to score in every game, so when we put the effort in in defence and off the ball, we will have our chances and we can finish the game. This is the base, and from there we go.”
Peretz will already be licking his lips at the prospect of facing off against the likes of Arsenal or Manchester City in the next nerve-wracking round, as the flexible 25-year-old will back his chances of putting in another near-faultless showing, to pull off another monumental FA Cup shock.