Monday’s briefing: Shameful Ibrox scenes at Ibrox and Sunderland shocked in cup

Rangers and Celtic fans clashed on the Ibrox pitch to overshadow the Scottish Cup Old Firm tie.

Lowly Port Vale produced a major FA Cup surprise by knocking out Premier League club Sunderland.

Southampton also pulled off a fifth-round upset, winning 1-0 at Fulham to reach the quarter-finals.

Rangers and Celtic fans clash in pitch invasion

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill described his view of a fracas involving a supporter and member of his backroom staff after a mass pitch invasion marred his team’s Scottish Cup win at Ibrox.

The Scottish Football Association has launched an investigation after Celtic and Rangers fans clashed following the visitors’ shoot-out triumph.

Police officers apprehended a man after Celtic players, including Tomas Cvancara, ran to the scene amid an incident involving a Celtic member of staff.

Cvancara, who scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out, was later interviewed on Premier Sports with blood stains on his strip.

Celtic right-back Julian Araujo was pushed by a Rangers supporter after hundreds of home fans ran on to the pitch towards the Broomloan Road stand after some of the 7,500 visiting fans invaded the pitch following Cvancara’s winning penalty at the opposite end.

Asked about the altercation between a spectator and one of his staff, O’Neill said: “As we were making our way back, I think there was some sort of fracas; somebody tried to get on the field. I don’t know, all I saw was there was a bit of a scrum down at the bottom.

“And as you say, maybe it does taint proceedings, but I think there’s an element of self-protection in that one. So if that’s the case, please, I’m making judgments here on things that I only half saw.”

O’Neill added: “The security men, in fairness to them, were wanting to get people off. But there is a natural euphoria about winning a game and about fans joining in. If this has gone too far, that would be disappointing.”

Sunderland on the Waine

League One strugglers Port Vale are into the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time in more than 70 years after boyhood Newcastle fan Ben Waine scored to stun Sunderland 1-0.

Waine’s 28th-minute header gave Vale their first win over top-flight opposition since a fourth-round win over Everton 30 years ago.

Jon Brady’s side sit rock bottom of the third tier, 11 points from safety in a 150th anniversary season that has offered little to celebrate so far.

But Sunday will go down in club history as they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since making the semis in 1954.

Waine is a New Zealand international who grew up in Wellington but his mum’s family hail from the North East, and this was a special occasion.

“I always watched the Newcastle games against Sunderland and to be involved in this game and to score the winner is pretty special,” Waine said. “Not just for me, but the whole family… this is the dream, so you’ve got to enjoy living it.”

Saints go marching on

Southampton scored a stoppage-time penalty to defeat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage to cause another fifth-round upset.

The tie looked bound for extra-time until the 90th minute when Saints’ Finn Azaz smartly kept himself onside and was tripped by the trailing boot of Joachim Andersen inside the box.

From the spot, Ross Stewart hammered the ball hard and low into the corner beyond the fingertips of goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte to ensure there will be a Championship team in Monday’s quarter-final draw.

Saints’ only FA Cup triumph came half a century ago this year and boss Tonda Eckert said: “You see how much it means to the club.

“It’s been 50 years since we won it for the last time. It’s important if you get that little bit of a taste how it feels to win football games, you just stay on the gas and keep going.”

Leeds shoot down Canaries

Leeds won the Daniel Farke derby against their manager’s former club Norwich.

The Whites cruised into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 23 years with a 3-0 win at Elland Road.

Sean Longstaff and Gabriel Gudmundsson struck first-half goals and Joel Piroe put the tie to bed in the closing stages as Leeds sealed a place in the last eight for the first time since 2003 under Terry Venables.

Farke said: “To be there in the quarter-finals is a big topic. It’s a while ago, I think over two decades ago, that we were there the last time.

“It’s still not realistic for us to win this cup. But who knows? We want to enjoy this cup run a bit longer. The dream is still ongoing and we’re looking forward to the draw – hopefully another home game.

“We haven’t had too many home games in the FA Cup in the last couple of decades and for that, we take it as motivation to be able, perhaps, to write another piece of amazing history for this club.”

What’s on today?

West Ham host Brentford in the final tie of the fifth-round long weekend.

The draw for the quarter-finals will take place before the match.