Sport

Crouch stands up when he's needed

FA Cup fifth round replays: Brentford 1 - Southampton 3 Southampton booked an FA Cup quarter-final appointment with holders …

Wed Mar 02 2005 - 00:00

FA Cup fifth round replays: Brentford 1 - Southampton 3 Southampton booked an FA Cup quarter-final appointment with holders Manchester United after edging past Brentford in a full-blooded fifth-round replay at Griffin Park last night.

Harry Redknapp's weakened side extinguished the League One side's cup dream, but had to wait until injury-time to guarantee the win as Peter Crouch ended the underdogs' challenge.

Brentford raced into a fourth-minute lead through Eddie Hutchinson and were the more ambitious side for long periods of the first half.

But Crouch levelled in the 10th minute and they grew stronger in the second half with Kevin Phillips - back in the starting line-up after his ankle problem - grabbing a 67th-minute lead before Crouch added a third.

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The visiting fans were stunned after just four minutes. Jay Tabb tried his luck from the edge of the area and when the ball rebounded it fell kindly to Hutchinson who had time to tee up his shot and rifle home.

Southampton levelled six minutes later when Phillips tested goalkeeper Stuart Nelson with a tricky shot which he parried into the path of Crouch.

With no one back to help out the stranded Nelson, Crouch was given the simple task of tapping home.

And the Premiership club made their superiority tell in the 67th minute with a slick counter-attack started by Olivier Bernard's surging run from defence. It was three against three with Bernard feeding Crouch, whose square ball was met by Phillips at the far post and the ex-Sunderland striker bundled home.

And they put the result beyond doubt in injury time. Substitute Neil McCann crossed to Crouch at the far post and the rangy marksman had no problem finding the back of the net.

BRENTFORD: Nelson, Dobson (Peters 89 mins), Sodje, Turner, Salako, Tabb, Hutchinson (O'Connor 83 mins), Talbot, Frampton (Hunt 69 mins), Rankin, Burton. Subs not used: Lennie, Harrold. Goal: Hutchinson 4.

SOUTHAMPTON: Smith, Telfer, Jakobsson, Davenport, Higginbotham, Nilsson, Oakley, Delap, Bernard (McCann 71 mins), Phillips (Camara 78 mins), Crouch. Subs not used: Poke, Anders Svensson, Ormerod. Goals: Crouch 11, Phillips 67, Crouch 90.

Referee: B Knight (Kent).