NEWCASTLE, England :Danny Welbeck scored deep into extra time to send Brighton & Hove Albion into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Newcastle United on Sunday after both teams were reduced to 10 men.
Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Brighton’s Yankubah Minteh scored in the first half before Welbeck struck the winner in the 114th minute with an exquisite finish from a tight angle.
“It was a very emotional game,” Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler told the BBC. “Lots of ups and downs. The key was we stayed together, we stayed calm, we tried to find solutions.”
Isak opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when he planted his penalty, awarded after Minteh fouled Tino Livramento, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into the far corner of the net.
It was Isak’s 22nd goal in all competitions this season.
Minteh atoned for his mistake when he sprinted on to a threaded pass from Joao Pedro to equalise in the 44th minute.
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey were sent off in the closing stages of normal time. Gordon was shown a red card for his shove to the head of Jan Paul van Hecke while Brighton were reduced to 10 players in the 91st minute following Lamptey’s lunging tackle on Jacob Murphy.
Newcastle, six-times FA Cup winners, had two goals chalked off for offside in regulation time. Isak thought he had doubled the lead in the 32nd minute and Fabian Schar celebrated what he thought was the winning goal deep into stoppage-time before that was also ruled out.
“It’s great to get the winning goal,” Welbeck told ITV. “It was a solid team performance and there was a lot going on in that game today. Lots of ups and downs, but we stuck with it. I’m so proud of the lads.
“Newcastle can always put you under pressure. They are very dangerous, but we stuck to our guns and we put in a great shift. I am feeling very good, feeling fit and feeling strong.”
