Watson continues Cup heroics as Wigan shock Cardiff

Ben Watson continued his love affair with the FA Cup as holders Wigan Athletic belied their second-tier status to upset Cardiff City 2-1 on Saturday.

And Sunderland punished Southampton for taking the competition too lightly.

Watson, who grabbed the winner when Wigan shocked Manchester City in last year’s final, fired into the top corner after 40 minutes to put the Championship club into the quarter-finals.

Chris McCann had given Wigan, who dropped out of the top flight after their Wembley success, the lead after 18 minutes, before Cardiff, second bottom in the Premier League, levelled through Fraizer Campbell.

A stunning strike from Craig Gardner helped knockout specialists Sunderland book their spot in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Southampton.

Sunderland, who have already reached the League Cup final, again put their Premier League struggles to one side with Gardner thundering a second-half shot into the top corner from 25 metres.

Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino had to field questions about his team, however, after resting players despite being comfortably positioned in mid-table.

Premier League powerhouses Manchester City and Chelsea face each other in another fifth-round tie later on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday’s home game with Championship rivals Charlton Athletic was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.

On Sunday, Arsenal host Liverpool, Swansea City travel to Everton and Championship side Nottingham Forest visit third tier Sheffield United.

Championship club Brighton and Hove Albion entertain Hull City on Monday.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.