Southampton will face Emirates FA Cup holders Arsenal in this weekend’s fourth round after overcoming League One Shrewsbury at St Mary’s.
Dan N'Lundulu opened the scoring after 15 minutes but it was far from one-way traffic for the Premier League side against the resilient Shrews.
Only a moment of quality sealed the tie for Saints with a superb James Ward-Prowse making it 2-0 in the closing stages on the south coast.
The winner of Southampton’s tie with the Gunners will travel to either sixth-tier Chorley or fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the draw for the fifth round already made to aid with fixture scheduling.
Steve Cotterill was not in attendance at St Mary’s, with the Shrewsbury manager recovering in hospital after spending time in intensive care with coronavirus.
The boss would have been pleased with the opening stages as he watched on from his hospital bed, as the Shrews kept the Premier League side at arm’s length.
But Saints got their opener with 16 minutes on the clock, N'Lundulu shifting into space and firing home from inside the penalty area on his first start for the club.
The visitors responded strongly, however, with Shaun Whalley in particular looking dangerous in front of goal in their bid for a leveller.
But it was the experienced Shane Long who boasted the best chance prior to half time, controlling in the area before seeing his attempt well-blocked by debutant Matthew Pennington.
Southampton were unbeaten in their last 30 home FA Cup matches against sides from lower divisions, and looked good in good shape to maintain that superb run with a 1-0 lead at the break.
Southampton set up a fourth round tie with #EmiratesFACup holders Arsenal following a 2-0 win against Shrewsbury Town.
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 19, 2021
James Ward-Prowse sealed the victory with a trademark free kick. pic.twitter.com/k0ovKJHB0I
But Shrewsbury were by no means out of the game, with Harry Chapman threatening an equaliser as the game approached the hour mark.
The third-tier side then had goalkeeper Matija Šarkić to thank for the deficit remaining at one goal, with England international Ward-Prowse’s corner almost finished off by Jack Stephens.
Šarkić prevented futher opportunities and was then indebted to defender Aaron Pierre, who hooked the ball away from underneath his own crossbar.
Still the hosts couldn’t get the second goal and the underdogs sensed an opportunity to strike as the final 15 minutes came into view.
Pierre was once again the hero with another vital block from substitute Che Adams, with their defensive work something to be proud of for Cotterill and assistant Aaron Wilbraham, who took charge on the touchline.
But they could do nothing to prevent Ward-Prowse from making it 2-0 late on, with a trademark free-kick from the captain helping the Saints become the 32nd and final team to progress from the third round.
The 1976 champions will return to St Mary’s on Saturday lunchtime, with their clash with Premier League rivals Arsenal to be broadcast live on BT Sport 1.
