Wigan Athletic's defence of the FA Cup remains on course after the second-tier side won 2-1 at Premier League club Cardiff City on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals.

Shock 1-0 winners over Manchester City in last season's final, Wigan were subsequently relegated to the Championship but they put paid to Cardiff thanks to a fine goal from cup final match-winner Ben Watson.

Wigan took the lead in the 18th minute at the Cardiff City Stadium when Chris McMann converted a cross from Jordi Gomez, but the hosts levelled nine minutes later through Fraizer Campbell.

Watson notched what proved to be the winner five minutes before half-time, lashing home a thunderbolt from Marc-Antoine Fortune's tapped free-kick to send Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Cardiff out of the competition.

Earlier, Craig Gardner scored a magnificent winning goal as Sunderland beat top-flight rivals Southampton 1-0 to become the first side to reach the last eight.

The match at a less than half-full Stadium of Light was preceded by a minute's applause in memory of former England great Tom Finney, who died on Friday aged 91, while the players also wore black armbands.

After a low-key first half, Gardner illuminated proceedings in the 49th minute with a goal of shimmering quality, side-stepping Victor Wanyama and dispatching a 25-yard shot that crashed in off the bar.

Rickie Lambert should have equalised for Southampton with nine minutes to play, but he somehow conspired to lift Nathaniel Clyne's firmly struck cross over an open goal from barely five yards out.

Sunderland have also qualified for the League Cup final, where they will face Manchester City, but manager Gus Poyet said that avoiding relegation from the Premier League remains his top priority.

Bob Stokoe, manager of the Sunderland team that won the FA Cup in 1973, is commemorated by a statue outside the Stadium of Light, but Poyet said: "Me, I would prefer to stay in the Premier League.

"I am not looking for a statue, that's for sure."

Later on Saturday, the day's stand-out fixture sees Manchester City host Premier League title rivals Chelsea, who won 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the league less than two weeks ago.

The scheduled encounter between second-tier sides Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic was postponed earlier on Saturday due to a waterlogged pitch at Wednesday's Hillsborough home.