Stoke (1) 2 Brighton (1) 4 – FA Cup 6/1/24 3pm
Premier League finally overthrew Championship opposition in the 2nd half, and Stoke were eventually eased aside to allow Brighton to march on in the FA Cup. City looked best in the 1st half, & led after a comical own-goal, but despite equalising for 2-2 in the 2nd half, they looked no match for Hove later in the game. Here’s how this cup exit unfolded in real time:
The FA Cup! Half the ground is closed, prices cut to the bone, and 6 changes for Stoke (4 for Brighton). Away end noisy, away strip odd (thick green & black stripes). Ben Wilmot returns to find that he’s probably the longest serving player in the squad today (albeit with Bonham – from aJune 2021; Sidibe & Lowe were youth players here too!). Newbie keeper from Leicester Daniel Iversen straight into the side for City. Simkin must be fuming!
10.30 Wesley, back in defence harangues a striker so much he ends up walking over him to win a goal kick. A terrifying experience!
12.20 Hoever gets a yellow card, although the constant replays are more forgiving.
14.45 Baker & Leris connect well on the left, but then…
15.14 1-0 !!! Oh dear, what a great own goal!! Junho burst down the right, into the penalty area, low cross beats the keeper Bart Verbruggen, and Jan Paul Van Hecke gets his feet in a muddle for a smashing own goal into an empty net. Schumacher still hasn’t seen a Stoke player score at the bet365.
18.30 Wesley looking like a real footballer collects and shoots just wide. He’s having a good game, which for him is saying something.
30.03 Great play by Michael Rose to protect new loanee keeper Daniel Iversen, getting across the striker, allowing him to collect easily.
35.05 Linesman rightly gives Brighton a throw, but ref overrules him, even though he couldn’t possibly see. Brighton fans (who could see) are non-plussed.
36.50 Yellow card for Rose for shirt pulling, but Buonanotte gets one too for waving an imaginary card!
44.01 Leris has a minor head injury, and has to accept that he’s got to come off. McNally is lined up to replace him.
45+1 McNally comes on to defend a free kick. Thankfully Iversen saves dramatically to his left, then grabs the subsequent cross in style. However, the replay shows that McNally had the last touch before his great save! Could so easily have been an own goal with Luke’s first touch!!!
45+6 1-1. Estupian lashes on to the ball on the edge of the penalty area & it cannons into the top corner. First bit of quality from Hove.
HT 1-1.
45.00 Vidigal on for Rose. this was clearly the second part of the earlier substitution.
48.20 Junho is yellowed, but Brighton waste their free kick
49.30 Johnson, Haksabanovic and Junho all go for the same ball, and all miss taking a shot at goal after Hoever & Vidigal combine well on the right. Farcical.
51.06 1-2!! Easy goal in the end as Dunk heads in at the far post outjumping McNally.
54.40 Great defending by Vidigal, tackling to prevent a certain goal from GroB.
Attendance: 13,651
57.40 Ryan Mmaee on for Haksabanovic.
60.49 Burger brings out a save in keeper Bart, after great work by Vidigal down the right.
61.25 Penalty!! from the subsequent corner, as Dunk handles leaping for the ball. Bit harsh, but it is Lewis Dunk afterall!
62.40 2-2!!! Lewis Baker sinks the ball in the corner to the keeper’s right. Bart went the right way but it was well struck indeed!
70.11 2-3 !! Great header from Joao Pedro into the far corner. Wesley had a similar chance in the first half, but put no power behind it.
73.45 Nathan Lowe and Liam McCarron on for Wesley and DJ Johnson. McCarron settles on the left. Vidigal having to play right back!
79.36 2-4 !!! Stoke stretched at the back as the cross from the right is buried easily by Pedro. Not sure how this will look on Daniel Iversen’s CV, conceding 4 on his debut for Stoke, but Brighton certainly showing skill in this second half.
84.20 Sol Sidibe on for Baker. That’s the 6th substitute.
87.00 Great save by Iversen, a one-on-one with Ferguson.
90+7 FT City 2 Hove 4. The premier league match on, & Stoke are out of the cup.
