Brighton's Amex Stadium saw its record attendance with the arrival of Arsenal in the FA Cup

Published: 26 January, 2015
By RICHARD OSLEY at the AMEX STADIUM

FA Cup Fourth Round
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 2, ARSENAL 3

THE fact, without doing much, Championship strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion were able to put the frighteners on Arsenal during an anxious final 15 minutes may explain why Arsene Wenger’s team are not topping the Premiership table with their intoxicating, attacking brand of football.

In some free-flowing moves they look like continent champions, in others they look drowsy or ridden with panic.

But in a weekend in which Chelsea were sensationally flattened at home to Bradford and Manchester City bowed out of the FA Cup while hosting Middlesbrough – two of a string of eye-catching upsets which halved the top league’s interest in this year’s tournament to just ten clubs – the only priority for the Gunners was to ensure they were in the fifth round draw.

Rosicky celebrates netting Arsenal's crucial third

Brighton’s spirited second half had looked unlikely after a wholly one-sided first period in which Arsenal scored twice without really needing to move through the gears. This has been a weekend for ‘unlikely’, however, and the Seagulls made sure that the Gunners would not leave the Amex Stadium, holding a record crowd, without sight of a few beads of worried sweat.

Arsenal enjoyed their afternoon on the south coast

By coincidence, this was Arsenal’s first away FA Cup tie since the last time they were here two years ago, having won the famous trophy last year without leaving London, courtesy of four home ties and the Wembley invites in the latter stages.

It was 2-3 then, and again on Sunday.

Walcott netted a late winner in 2013, but only needed 90 seconds to score this time. Inexplicably found all alone, unmarked, he drifted into the box to meet Calum Chambers’ centre and angled a shot beyond Albion goalkeeper David Stockdale. At once, the feverish atmosphere in the stadium, ramped up in the minutes before kick off with Fatboy Slim’s records blaring from the PA system, was punctured. The shouting, the screaming was all gone, and it looked like Brighton boss Chris Hughton’s gameplan had too. Midway through the half, it was 0-2 with Mesut Ozil, like Walcott returning from an extended stretch in the physio’s lock-up, making the most of the generous defending. One or two passes and the door was unlocked for him to score.

It all looked plain sailing and if Walcott had been more decisive in some quick-passing counter attacks, it would never have been in doubt.

Arsene Wenger will be relieved his team did not fall to lower league opposition, like Chelsea and Manchester City

But Brighton suddenly pulled together their own attack shortly into the second half. Arsenal appealed for a foul here and a foul there, rather unconvincingly, before Chris O’Grady grabbed an opportunity to turn and blast low beyond the recalled Wojciech Szczesny. 

The Seagulls were suddenly on a high and thrilled by some chaotic crosses which threatened further danger. Yet just as they were promising a greater assault, they allowed Arsenal to pull clear again. Tomas Rosicky, again woefully unmarked on the edge of the box, had the freedom of the Downs to thrash a daisy cutting half-volley beyond Stockdale. The strike capped a man of the match of performance.

Again, that really should have been that, but there was still time for Arsenal to be reminded of their ability to ship goals at inconvenient moments.

This time, Sam Baldock, who had been quiet throughout, suddenly employed the coolness of Messi to roll the ball home from a pinpoint pass. 

At the other end, substitute Alexis Sanchez flew a series of free-kicks close and Aaron Ramsey stabbed a shot into the ground which looped up off the turf andover the bar. Chuba Akpom, another sub, had a couple of decent breaks curtailed by Brighton fouls.

But without the fourth, a level of nervousness lasted to the final whistle, even if Brighton’s search for an equaliser did not really reach further than an iffy penalty cry when the ball appeared to cannon into Chambers’ arm. Albion boss Chris Hughton said Chambers’ limb was “outstretched” and that it was a “very close call”.

Wenger was not bothered. Arsenal were through. “You looked at the results yesterday and I checked twice,” he said. “But it was a subconscious reminder that this match would be hard. Sometimes the matches you might not think are difficult, are the hardest.”

ARSENAL: Szcsesny, Chambers, Gibbs, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Rosicky, Walcott (Sanchez 70), Ozil (Coquelin 80), Giroud (Akpom 70)
Subs: Coquelin, Martinez, Akpom, Sanchez, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Cazorla
Attendance: 30,278