January 06, (THEWILL) – Brighton and Hove Albion avoided an FA Cup third-round upset on Saturday, after coming from behind to beat Championship side, Stoke City, 4-2. The English Premier League club went behind in the first half when Stoke took a surprise lead courtesy of a Jan Paul Van Hecke own goal. However, Brighton fought back in the closing stages of the half through a wonder strike from Pervis Estupinan.
The away side then went ahead early in the second half via a Lewis Dunk header. Stoke equalised from the penalty spot through Lewis Baker after Dunk conceded a handball in the area. But Brighton showed their quality late on, with substitute Joao Pedro netting two goals to secure safe passage to the fourth round for Roberto De Zerbi’s men.
Stoke manager, Steven Schumacher, will be pleased with his players’ performance and effort against much higher-ranked opponents. His side were certainly not overawed and caused Brighton plenty of problems. Ultimately though, Brighton’s extra bit of EPL quality proved the difference.
De Zerbi will be delighted to avoid a potential banana skin tie at the bet365 Stadium. His focus now turns to progressing further in the competition when the fourth-round draw is made. The win maintains the momentum his squad has built up in recent weeks.
After a slow start initially going behind, Brighton can take plenty of confidence from this comeback victory on the road against tricky lower-league opposition. Their sights are now set on trying to win some silverware this season after reaching the semi-finals last year.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
