Brighton & Hove Albion 3 Coventry City 1
Albion march into the FA Cup quarter finals for the first time since 1986 after a convincing win against League 2 Coventry.
They will now face Manchester United in the sixth round at Old Trafford – the club’s first ever FA Cup quarter final away from home.
Record signing and debutant Jurgen Locadia hit the crossbar after just five minutes from an Anthony Knockaert centre.
Soon after Jonson Clarke-Harris headed against the under side of the bar for Coventry,.
Then the Albion signing from PSV Eindhoven swept in his first goal for the club as his low shot eluded Lee Burge.
Coventry looked dangerous at times as they moved the ball through the middle but were undone as Connor Goldson headed in a Markus Suttner corner.
Albion keeper Tim Krul took a hefty knock during a rare Coventry attack and had to be sharp afterwards to shepherd a Jordon Shipley effort around the post.
Albion’s makeshift central defence looked solid although Uwe Hünemeier at the back end of his career will no doubt be thinking he has few Amex outings left.
Nikki Maenpaa replaced Krul at the start of the second half and Davy Propper took Dale Stephens’s place in midfield.
Solly March began to see much more of the ball and whipped in some telling crosses for Locadia and Leo Ulloa.
It was from an overzealous throw-out from Coventry keeper Burge that Albion won back possession and Ulloa scored his second full debut goal for Albion, much like the first back in 2013, as he headed in Bruno’s cross, with a powerful finish.
Albion lived dangerously for a while and after Hünemeier missed a header Clarke-Harris curved a consolation into the bottom corner for the Sky Blues.
Coventry also hit the inside of Maenpaa’s post and, after a later mix up, the Finnish keeper was relieved to see the ball bounce back to him via Goldson with Tom Bayliss ready to pounce.
Albion had other chances to increase their lead. Knockaert stabbed a clear chance wide, Goldson headed over from a March cross when he might have directed his effort back across goal – and substitute Sam Baldock rattled the bar in the last minute.
Albion now progress in the Cup further than many fans can remember and will travel to Old Trafford for the quarter final … mission impossible?
Google or think back to Sunday 20 February 1983 when the Seagulls beat the odds and knocked out another top team that played in red shirts.
