Brighton 2-3 Arsenal: Londoners seal passage to FA Cup fifth round with narrow win

Arsenal took the lead on three different occasions to beat NPower Championship high-fliers Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 at the Amex Arena in the South East of England to go book passage in the fifth round proper of the FA Cup.

Although Olivier Giroud scored either side of half time to twice give the Gunners the lead, their inability to defend from set pieces and aerial balls came back to haunt them twice through Ashley Barnes in the first half and Leonardo Ulloa in the second.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger tweaked his side for this trip. Having played three games over a span of just seven days, his squad needed changes. Some were enforced, others weren’t.

Laurent Koscielny replaced Thomas Vermaelen who had hobbled off in the second half against West Ham, Carl Jenkinson and Andre Santos replaced Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs, Tomas Rosicky marked his return to fitness by starting in midfield alongside Aaron Ramsey and Abou Diaby and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud up front. Per Mertesacker was handed the captain’s armband for the afternoon’s encounter.

Managed by Chelsea legend Gus Poyet, Brighton and Hove Albion are seventh in the Championship, just outside the promotion play-off places. With a long, arduous season ahead of the seagulls, the Uruguayan decided to rotate. In came Dane Kasper Ankergren for former Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and both regular starters Andrea Orlandi and Craig Mackail-Smith were dropped to the bench as new signing Leonardo Ulloa was handed his English début after signing from Spanish side Almeria.

For Arsenal, this was not going to be a walkover. Any thoughts of it being so would have been banished by the giant-killing they were at the receiving end of by Bradford City in the Capital One Cup last year. Brighton had beaten Newcastle 2-0 at home in the previous round of the FA Cup, and they had all the potential to do the same to the Gunners.

With the first ten minutes of the game being relatively cagey as both sides attempted to probe a way past the other, the game crackled to life as it reached the quarter of the hour mark. With Wojciech Szczesny parrying a great attempt from striker Barnes, he easily collected the subsequent corner and played the ball out to Tomas Rosicky.

The Czech Republic captain sped downfield, with support arriving both left and right of him. He chose to pick out Podolski, who laid the ball off back for Giroud. He made no hesitation in curling the ball past a stationary Ankergren to give the Premier League side the lead.

It may have been 1-0 to the Arsenal, but that was in no way a guarantee for victory.

On the half hour mark, Santos won possession just outside his own box. He was robbed of the ball almost immediately and could only watch as Ulloa walked the ball into an empty net following good work from Inigo Calderon and Barnes. Fortunately for the Brazilian, the goal was flagged offside.

That incident seemed to lift the Seagulls’ morale, and three minutes later, they made Arsenal pay. Having won a corner on Arsenal’s left flank, David Lopez swung in a cross for Barnes to head home past a static Arsenal defence.

Despite there being ten Gunners players in the box to Brighton’s five, critics will point at the Londoners’ zonal marking system and Szczesny’s inability to judge the corner as factors that led to the 33rd minute equaliser.

With chances coming few and far between in the first half, it was no surprise that the two teams went into the break level. Arsenal did attempt to trouble Ankergren, but Rosicky’s tame effort was wide of the target while Santos shot woefully wide.

At half time, Poyet made his second change of the game. Skipper Gordon Greer had limped off with a hamstring injury in the 33rd minute to be replaced by Gary Dicker. Now William Buckley would be taken off for Kazenga Lua Lua.

The second half began in a tad more sprightly fashion than the first. Jenkinson blasted straight at Ankergren in the 51st minute, and in the 53rd minute, centre-back Adam El-Abd fouled Podolski outside the box. His dipping free kick clonked the crossbar with the keeper stranded.

Ulloa fired wide as Brighton tried to find their feet, but it was all Arsenal at this point, and it was the Gunners who re-took the lead. In the 56th minute, Diaby showed great presence to flight a ball through to Giroud. He displayed comprehensive skill in shaking off his defender and rifling the ball home with his first touch off his favoured left foot.

Arsenal were leading 2-1, but Brighton had every intention to restore the status quo.

Rosicky combined well with Giroud to send the France international through on goal. Ankergren saved from point-blank range. In the 63rd minute, Barnes’ right wing cross was met by Ulloa. The Argentine ghosted in past Mertesacker and Koscielny to plant home his first goal on English soil to restore parity between the two sides.

Soon afterwards, Wenger decided to ring in the changes. Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott came on for Rosicky and Chamberlain.

Five minutes later, Poyet responded by bringing on his side’s top scorer Craig Mackail-Smith in place of Ulloa, who received rapturous applause as he took his place on the bench.

Arsenal were upping the ante. Kieran Gibbs came on for the rather ordinary Santos to give Arsenal more impetus down the left. Giroud fired wide after receiving the England international’s pull back.

With the game now going past the 80th minute mark, the possibility of a replay at Ashburton Grove seemed to look increasingly likely. But Walcott put paid to that five minutes from time. An Arsenal corner from the right was punched out of the box by Ankergren. It fell straight to the number fourteen who smashed an effort goalwards, taking a deflection off El-Abd as it found the back of the net.

With the minutes winding down, Mackail-Smith appealed for a penalty as he headed wide under pressure from Carl Jenkinson. Referee Michael Oliver was unfazed and blew the final whistle shortly afterwards.

Arsenal are now through to the fifth round proper of the FA Cup, but Brighton can look back on their time in the competition with pride. No pushovers were the side from the seaside resort, and they should be able to challenge for promotion in the Championship this season.

Wenger’s men will know the opponents they face on February 16th when the draw for the fifth round is made at Wembley Stadium tomorrow.

Between now and then, they will look to climb up the Barclays Premier League table.

Lineups:

Brighton and Hove Albion 2-3 Arsenal (Barnes 33′, Ulloa 62′; Giroud 15′ and 56′, Walcott 85′)

Referee: Michael Oliver

Brighton and Hove Albion: Ankergren; Greer (Dicker 37′), El-Abd, Calderon, Bridge; Hammond, Lopez, Bridcutt, Buckley (Lua Lua 45′); Barnes, Ulloa (Mackail-Smith 73′)

Subs not used: Kuszczak, Painter, Orlandi, Vicente

Manager: Gus Poyet

Arsenal: Szczesny; Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Santos (Gibbs 78′); Diaby, Ramsey, Rosicky (Wilshere 66′); Podolski, Giroud, Chamberlain (Walcott 68′)

Subs not used: Mannone, Sagna, Cazorla, Arshavin

Manager: Arsene Wenger

Stats:

Brighton and Hove Albion: Shots (on target): 5(3), fouls: 9, corner kicks: 2, offsides: 5, yellow cards:1, red cards: 0, saves: 5

Arsenal: Shots (on target): 12(6), fouls: 10, corner kicks: 15, offsides: 0, yellow cards:2, red cards: 0, saves: 1

Next Fixture:

Brighton and Hove Albion: NPower Football Championship vs. Sheffield Wednesday, Hillsborough Stadium, 2 February 2013

Arsenal: Barclays Premier League vs. Liverpool, Emirates Stadium, 30 January 2013