Once again, it was a gripping contest on so many levels, loaded with incident, drama, argument. Once again, it would be decided at the very last from the penalty spot. There was a fundamental difference. This time it was Brighton who cavorted about the pitch when it was over, the victory theirs and with it the revenge.
It had been impossible to ignore the backstory of the FA Cup semi-final between the teams from the Sunday before last – and not least because the travelling Manchester United fans had been keen to remind everybody who would be going to Wembley for the final.
