Southampton and Arsenal are two teams who are having two seasons that could not be more different.
Arsenal are currently top of the table in the Premier League and look set to win their first league title since 2004. Southampton on the other hand, are 7th in the Championship and will more than likely be preparing to be part of the 2nd tier next season as well.
However, the one main difference between the two teams is that one of them is still in the FA cup, and it is not the one you would think.
Arsenal was a team that looked set to have an incredible season. Flawless football saw them set to be competing for a historic quadruple until February. However, the first of the four pillars fell after a defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup Final, a match which Arsenal fans would have hoped to end their trophy drought since 2020.
Fans would have hoped for a much better reaction from the team following the setback, and an FA cup quarter final against championship side Southampton felt like the perfect way to do it.
Things, however, did not go according to plan as a goal from Ross Stewart saw Southampton take the lead in the 36th minute. Arsenal pulled one back through Viktor Gyokeres in the 68th Minute however, a goal from Shea Charles in the 85th minute sealed the match and saw Arsenal get knocked out of the FA cup. The second pillar had fallen.
The match no doubt received different reactions from fanbases. However, the reactions were the same to one thing. The kit combinations worn by the teams.
The match was hosted at Southampton’s home, The St. Mary’s Stadium, so it is only natural that we assume that The Saints would be the ones playing in their classic red and white home jersey. However, this was not the case as The Gunners were the ones who donned their red and white home kit.
The reason for this was that Southampton wore a special edition yellow and blue kit to mark the 50th anniversary of their 1976 FA cup victory. It is also the only trophy they have won in the club’s existence. Arsenal generally would have had to wear their third kit due to a potential kit clash, but were free to wear their home kit due to this.
The jersey matches the colour scheme of the one they wore in the final against Manchester United, which saw them win 1-0 thanks to a goal from Robert William Stokes in the 83rd Minute.
Both clubs will now look forward to the rest of the season, as Southampton continue to fight for promotion and will face Wrexham up next. They have also drawn Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals and will hope to reignite the magic of ’76 and go all the way.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will once again hope to bounce back strongly as they prepare to take on Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday.
