Brighton dominate at Norwich to cruise into fourth round
Georginio Rutter scored a first-half double as Brighton thrashed Championship side Norwich to book their spot in the FA Cup fourth round.
Manager Fabian Hurzeler named a strong starting XI as the Seagulls looked to secure their first win in eight games.
After soaking up some pressure from hosts Norwich, Brighton showed their Premier League class in the 37th minute as Joel Veltman's delicate cross into the box was confidently headed in by the unmarked Rutter.
With the last kick of the first half, Rutter struck again to suck all hope out of the play-off chasers after he was freed by Yankuba Minteh and a slight deflection on the strike drove the ball into the roof of the net.
Julio Enciso wrapped up the comfortable victory for Brighton when the Paraguayan nicked the ball off substitute Brad Hills before stroking a lovely finish in off the far post.
Substitute Solly March netted a superb fourth for Brighton in the 76th minute with a left-footed finish into the far corner as he continues his return from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Norwich were without Championship top scorer Borja Sainz after he served the first of his six-game suspension for spitting.
The Canaries came close to making it 2-1 early in the second period with Marcelino Nunez driving towards the far corner of Jason Steele's goal, but they struggled to create any clear-cut chances.
The draw for the FA Cup fourth round will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer after Arsenal v Manchester United, which kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.
Seagulls show strength in depth
Georginio Rutter moved to Brighton from Leeds in August 2024
2023 FA Cup semi-finalists Brighton have not been enjoying the type of Premier League campaign they have become accustomed to, and arrived at Carrow Road winless in their past eight games.
Hurzeler made six changes to his starting XI but was still able to bring in the likes of Rutter, Kaoru Mitoma and Enciso, showing the strength in depth at the German manager's disposal.
Japan winger Mitoma has been in and out of the side this term but caused huge problems to the Norwich defence by dancing beyond the full-back and delivering dangerous crosses.
Rutter stepped up in the absence of the injured Joao Pedro and showed why he can be the man to lead the Seagulls back to form in the Premier League and kickstart their push for Europe.
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