Brighton’s class, in the end, eased them past a Stoke who were doughty and little else until a late flurry. The Potters threatened from corners and controlled the ball, moving their visitors around, but lacked the class the Seagulls showed in the sequence that created Evan Ferguson’s winning strike, and which has them in the quarter-final draw.
Brighton have never claimed a major honour in their 122-year history and while Roberto De Zerbi was pleased he cooled any talk of glory. “We deserved to win but our priority is not the FA Cup but to work hard every day in a Brighton shirt. We work hard to make the fans happy,” the manager said. “I understand they want to win the trophy and we also want to win, but to win we need to work.”
