David Moyes confessed he deserved his expulsion to the sin bin after Sofiane Boufal's wonder goal settled the Great British Half-Baked Turn-Off .
Suffering Sunderland boss Moyes was banished to the stands with time running out after straying out of his technical area and remonstrating with fourth official James Adcock in colourful language.
Most of the nation was glued to the last instalment of a cookery competition in a tent, and they were good judges.
For 65 minutes, this was a prescription for Mel and Sue's double entendres about soggy bottoms.
But then Saints' record £21 million signing Boufal trapped a meteorite falling out of the sky and whipped it into the top corner, a fabulous goal totally out of kilter with the dross that preceded it.
On your marks, get set, wake.
Moroccan magician Boufal's winner on his home debut was worthy of any wake-up call, booking Southampton a trip to Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
Learning of his booby prize, Saints manager Claude Puel asked: “Home or away? Away? Can we change?”
But Moyes, whose side have now lost eight of their 12 games this season, was cursing his luck even more after claiming the Black Cats were robbed as the last grains of sand slipped through the hourglass.
Sunderland's claims for a last-gasp penalty, as Maya Yoshida tripped Victor Anichebe, were ignored by referee Chris Kavanagh.
Moyes groaned: “We didn't deserve to lose and I was disappointed we didn't take it to extra time because that was the least we deserved from the game.
“It was a stone-waller penalty kick - no questions, inside the box and Yoshida goes across Victor, but at the moment our luck is out.
“I was sent off for leaving my box and swearing at the fourth official. It was the correct decision - the fourth official chased me down the touchline but I swore at him, which I shouldn't have done, and I deserved to get sent off.”
The Black Cats, anchored to the Premier League seabed, did not look like a side who had given up on Moyes and were waiting for their old boss Sam Allardyce to come riding to the rescue.
Moyes is a decent man who does not deserve vacuous speculation about his job after just 12 games in charge at the Stadium of Light.
But Saints were there for the taking, especially after injury-plagued striker Jay Rodriguez was forced off suffering from dizziness after 25 minutes.
Boufal's goal was Southampton's only shot on target all night, but in reply Sunderland were so feeble that, if they had punched your doorbell, you wouldn't have heard it ring.
Apart from substitute Jermain Defoe forcing Alex McCarthy into a save at his near post and Paddy McNair's header from close range hitting the woodwork, the Black Cats were just as toothless.