Julius OkorieAgainst initial permutations, Brighton & Hove Albion got the better side of Chelsea, in the FA Cup fourth round clash this weekend.
Brighton put aside the disappointment of a recent 7-0 bashing in the premiership by Notingham Forest, to produce an impressive run in the FA Cup on Saturday, against favourites Chelsea, at the Amex Stadium.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelEnzo Maresca’s team took the lead in the fifth minute, when Brighton goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen, inadvertently directed Cole Palmer’s cross into his net, a significant error that Chelsea failed to capitalise on.
They equalised in the 12th minute, when Joel Veltman’s cross found Georginio Rutter, who skilfully manoeuvred between Chelsea defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo to head the ball into the far corner.
Brighton completed their comeback in the 57th minute, when Mitoma executed a delicate finish past Chelsea goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez, despite the visitors’ protests for a handball. Chelsea last won the FA Cup in 2018.
Meanwhile, embattled Manchester City continued to forge ahead with one step at a time. The pep Guardiola tutored side faced early set back at the Brisbane road, when when Jamie Donley’s long-range shot struck the crossbar and deflected off City goalkeeper, Stefan Ortega, giving Leyton Orient an unexpected lead.
But the Premier League champions equalised after 56 minutes, when Uzbekistan defender, Abdukodir Khusanov, inadvertently redirected Rico Lewis’s shot into the net, marking Khusanov’s first goal since joining City from Lens, during the January transfer window.
City manager, Pep Guardiola, needed to rely more on his substitutes than he preferred, just four days before the crucial first leg of the Champions League play-off round against Real Madrid.
However, the arrival of De Bruyne proved pivotal, as the Belgian midfielder netted a goal, 11 minutes before the final whistle.
“It was a typical FA Cup game, that is why this competition is unbelievable. For the fans, how the crowd support and we knew they are strong,” Guardiola said.
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Victory came at a cost for City, though, as new midfielder, Nico Gonzalez, hobbled off just 22 minutes into his debut after his £50 million ($62 million) move from Porto.
The FA Cup continues Sunday ( today), with Liverpool, hoping to avoid a shocker from Championship side, Plymouth Argyle.
In their last six matches in all competitions, Plymouth have won two, drawn two and lost two. They scored six and conceded 10 in that period, scoring first in two of the six contests. All of their goals came after halftime. Liverpool on the other side, netted six times in the first 45 minutes. They won five and lost one in their last six, scoring 16 and conceded five, netting first in all six.
The second match today, will see Aston Villa, battle Tottenham, meaning one of the premier league sides, will unfortunately kiss the FA Cup bye tonight.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
