Brighton & Hove Albion

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's FA Cup game between Norwich City and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: Terrific second-half performance after a mixed first half. Yankuba Minteh and Carlos Baleba looked powerful and poised on the ball and the early signs are that both have the potential to do great things in the game. Solly March's rocket was the icing on the cake and indicative of his hunger to rediscover the superb form he was showing before another extended period on the sidelines. I really believe that with a bit of fortune, this is Brighton's best chance in years to lift the trophy.

John: A very welcome result considering how our league performances have been recently.

Nick: Good to finally get back to winning ways! After a scary first 20 minutes, we grew into the game and Minteh looked menacing throughout. It may just be me, but has Kaoru Mitoma lost his spark? Hopefully not. A good win capped off by a great Solly March goal!

Chris: What could have been a difficult game turned into the perfect afternoon. A win, a clean sheet, Georginio Rutter back among the goals and a first of the season for Julio Enciso. However none of that can beat the sight of Solly March scoring after such a long time out injured - the reaction of the players and the fans tells you how much that meant to us all. Oh and shoutout to Shane Duffy, forever a Brighton legend.

Prof: Oh the joys of winning again. Superb goals from Rutter and Enciso, with the cherry on the cake being Solly's goal. Norwich are a decent team so to have the chant "we want our ball back" when they were in possession added to the fun day out.

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Solly March spoke to BBC Radio Sussex after FA Cup victory against Norwich City: "It was a nice afternoon - to score to top off a win. Hopefully it will be more of the same to come.

"The [recent] performances haven't been bad at all - the draws have been tough to turn into wins. It's tough to keep clean sheets. We've scored four goals so hopefully it can set us on a path"

"It's more minutes in the legs. I'm probably a while off starting, but I want to contribute where I can. I feel good and hopefully I can build it up over the next weeks and months."

Striker Georginio Rutter added: "I would say [it was a perfect game]. The team showed good character and we took the game seriously.

"I scored so I'm happy, Solly scored so everyone is happy, and Ruairi [McConville] made his first appearance for Brighton so everyone is happy. A perfect day.

"Solly is important for everyone. I didn't know him before, but when he returned to training everyone was happy. He has worked hard to come back."

Brighton's Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, 20, has been linked with a loan move to West Ham. (TBR Football, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

The draw for the FA Cup fourth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the weekend of 8 February.

• Manchester United v Leicester

• Brighton v Chelsea

• Exeter v Nottingham Forest

• Coventry v Ipswich

• Blackburn v Wolves

• Mansfield/Wigan v Fulham

• Birmingham v Newcastle

• Plymouth v Liverpool

• Everton v Bournemouth

• Aston Villa v Tottenham

• Southampton v Burnley

• Leyton Orient/Derby v Manchester City

• Doncaster v Crystal Palace

See the full draw

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Fabian Hurzeler spoke to BBC Radio Sussex after Brighton's victory against Norwich: "I think we had some problems at the start, but afterwards we created a lot of chances and scored scored some nice goals. We defended quite well; Norwich only had one chance in the whole game so I am very happy with the performance without the ball.

On Solly March: "I had some goosebumps when he scored the goal and when the supporters cheered his name. It was something special.

Tell us your thoughts on Brighton's performance here

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

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That was exactly what Fabian Huzeler will have wanted from his Brighton side as they eased their way beyond Championship side Norwich at Carrow Road.

This game could have been a banana skin for the Premier League outfit, especially having not won in their last eight games, but it was anything but.

After soaking up some early pressure from the play-off chasers, Brighton stepped on the gas and Georginio Rutter struck in with a fine header in the 37th minute before powering home his second with the last kick of the half.

With a 2-0 lead, Brighton were able to relax in the second period they flexed their Premier League muscles even more and put the gloss on the scoreline.

Hurzeler made six changes to his starting XI but showcased the strength in depth at his disposal as he was able to call on the likes of Rutter, Mitomo and Julio Enciso.

The Paraguayan repaid the faith his manager paid in him by scoring a beautiful third goal before Solly March netted for the first time since recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Brighton are not where they want to be in the league currently as they sit in 10th but a performance and result like this is sure to bring them much-needed confidence.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

The FA Cup third round continues on Saturday, with several Premier League sides in action:

• Bournemouth v West Bromwich Albion

• Chelsea v Morecambe

• Norwich v Brighton

• Nottingham Forest v Luton

• Brentford v Plymouth Argyle - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Salford City (17:45) - watch on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app

All times GMT and kick-off at 15:00 unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for all 32 FA Cup third round games and given his verdict on who will make it into round four.

For this week's matches he is up against actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who is a Liverpool fan.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

What a win for Johannes Hoff Thorup's Norwich at the weekend. It harked back to the Daniel Farke era, with us scoring two stoppage time goals to beat Frank Lampard's Coventry.

The guy who got them both, Amankwah Forson, has had a difficult start to his Norwich career, but he took them brilliantly.

The issue my old club have is that Ashley Barnes has gone back to Burnley, leaving Josh Sargent as their only recognised striker.

Sargent has been injured this season and has only played 12 Championship games, which is less than half, so it is a gamble to rely on him to stay fit.

I'd love to say Norwich will win this, but I actually think Brighton will go through.

They could do with a victory too because, although they performed really well against Arsenal, they have not won for eight games.

It pains me to say this, but I am going with the Seagulls to take out the Canaries.

Billy's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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The FA Cup third round is well under way, with Premier League sides Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa the clubs already booking their places in the fourth-round draw with wins on Thursday and Friday.

But for other sides hoping for a healthy cup run this season, when will the draw take place?

The draw will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer following the conclusion of the Arsenal v Manchester United tie, which kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.

It will include 32 teams - with all third-round matches this weekend settled on the day - and the resulting ties will be played over the weekend commencing Saturday, 8 February.

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Norwich City's top scorer Borja Sainz will be suspended for Saturday's FA Cup tie against Brighton.

The Championship's leading scorer will miss a total of six games after admitting to spitting at Sunderland's Chris Mepham in December. He has also been fined £12,000 by the Football Association.

Sainz - who has netted 16 goals for the Canaries this season, but has failed to add to that tally since November - said he takes "full responsibility" and "deeply regrets" what he did.

Read more

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Brighton will face Championship side Norwich City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, with former Seagulls defender Shane Duffy potentially set to play against his old club for the first time since his departure in February 2023.

The 33-year-old has been speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk commentator Chris Goreham about the tie.

The defender said: "I am buzzing because I haven't really had a chance to play against them yet. When I was at Fulham I was on loan, so I couldn't play against them then.

"I've got a lot of really good friends there and there are a lot of people from behind the scenes who I still speak to daily, so I'm really excited to see them. I think it is going to be a good cup tie.

"I was probably at my most consistent there, for a good three or four years at least, and it is a club that I love and that I owe a lot to. Brighton probably set me up for my career.

"It's always nice when you go back and you play against your old team, but this time I want Norwich to win!"

When asked what reception he thinks he will receive from the travelling Seagulls supporters, Duffy added: "I've got a really good connection with the club. I think I have always been really good with the fans. They have been respectful to me and I have been respectful to them.

"I think they saw that I gave everything for their club, and I think that's what any fan wants. If you give everything for the badge, and you do the right things, then they will get fully behind you.

"I felt that period was the most successful part of my career and I think they saw that side of it too."

Listen to the full episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited on BBC Sounds

Liverpool and England midfielder Harvey Elliott, 21, is attracting interest from Brighton and Borussia Dortmund. (Lyall Thomas, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Brighton are unbeaten in their past four meetings with Norwich in all competitions (W2 D2), keeping a clean sheet in each match.

The past two meetings between the sides, in the 2021-22 Premier League season, both finished 0-0.

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup third round match against Norwich City (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• There are "some issues" in the squad with Lewis Dunk, Jack Hinshelwood and Mats Wieffer all unavailable because of injury. There are doubts about Danny Welbeck's availability but he will be assessed again on Friday.

• Joao Pedro will also miss the game after "twisting his ankle in training", with the club waiting for an MRI scan on the forward's injury, while the game comes "too early" for new signing Diego Gomez.

• Despite the injuries, Hurzeler is confident his squad will still be "very competitive and strong enough to win the game". He is looking to "get consistency into the squad" and "build relationships on the pitch" so there will not be too many changes to his starting line-up.

• On what the FA Cup means to him: "It's similar to the Carabao Cup. It's a competition where you have a chance to win a title. There are a lot of good opponents in this cup competition but, in the end, it's only one game - and in one game, anything is possible."

• After going eight games without victory, the Seagulls are looking to return to winning ways against a "great opponent" in Norwich: "It is going to be a tough game. They play really well, they try to play out and build up from the back, they have good individual players."

• He anticipates the trip to Carrow Road will be "hard work" and they "cannot underestimate" the Championship side. The players will be prepared "physically and mentally" for a "big fight" and a "great atmosphere".

• Hurzeler is aware of the "individual quality" in Norwich's offensive line: "Borja Sainz is a very good one-vs-one player. He makes a difference because he scores a lot of goals and makes a lot of assists. So we have to defend well, press with intensity and be very compact in a low block to keep them out. Otherwise they can cause a lot of danger."

• On the opportunity to get the team to Wembley again, after the Seagulls were knocked out by Manchester United in the 2023 FA Cup semi-final: "I have spoken to Andrew Crofts about this. Although I didn't experience it myself, he shared that it was a great experience to be at Wembley, to play there and to come so far in this tournament. That should be our goal again this season. In one game, we are able to beat everyone. We have to believe in that."

Follow Thursday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Brighton centre-back Adam Webster has been speaking to BBC Radio Sussex after making his return to the pitch in Brighton's 1-1 draw with Arsenal, having spent two and a half months out with a hamstring injury.

The 30-year-old, who was brought on in the second half of the match, said it was "really nice to be back" playing for the Seagulls: "I have really missed it. I have missed being out there with the boys.

"As a centre-back, you don't ever expect to get on from the bench, but it was unfortunate for Igor and that gave me the opportunity to come on and try to help the team, which I feel like I did.

"I feel like I'm in a really good place at the minute. It's never easy coming on as a substitute, especially as a centre-back, because you have to get straight into the tempo of the game."

Webster revealed that he has found it "difficult" watching from the sidelines this season: "Even when you're not playing, you can still influence things in training. But, when you're out injured and not training, it is difficult when you're just watching the games.

"We have had a few more senior players out. We also had a lot of change in the summer, with a lot of younger players coming in and players coming in that were new to the league, so that has been a challenge because it can take some time to adjust.

"It's even more difficult when you're not out there day in day out, I think that is the biggest frustration for me. Obviously I want to be out there trying to help the team and trying to help the boys, so hopefully I can try and do that now."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

The vast majority of teams in the Premier League are going short from their goal-kicks most of the time, with 11 of the 20 teams playing at least 50% of them inside their own area, and 17 of the 20 playing most of them in their own half.

Premier League leaders Liverpool play 85% of their goal-kicks into their half, with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City having a similar figure of 83%.

But there are perhaps some surprising takes from the figures.

As the above graphic shows, Arsenal - for years seen as playing a progressive, attractive style of football - are just as happy to go long with their goal-kicks as they are short, with roughly half of them ending in the opposition half.

In contrast, the Gunners' fierce rivals Tottenham have, somewhat incredibly, gone long with just four of their 145 goal-kicks so far this season.

Brighton notably went from goalkeeper to goal in less than 30 seconds to spark their 3-2 comeback win against Tottenham in October.

The Seagulls play 75% of their goal-kicks inside their own half and have had some great success with that tactic this campaign.

Meanwhile, surprise packages Nottingham Forest - sitting third in the Premier League - are also bucking the trend with their goal-kicks, with 60% of them being sent into the opposition half.

It is a tactic that, while at odds with the rest of the Premier League, is working for them with resurgent 33-year-old striker Chris Wood providing them with an effective outlet for the long ball.

Read more from Gary about how the role of the goalkeeper has changed

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Former Brighton players Guy Butters and Warren Aspinall believe Fabian Hurzeler has been managing Kaoru Mitoma's minutes over the busy fixture period, after the winger missed out on a place in the Seagulls' last two starting line-ups.

Speaking on the latest episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, Butters said: "With the games coming thick and fast in December, and a cup game coming up as well, I think you have got to look after players.

"When I played, I would have wanted to play every single game. If you had left me out, I would have been straight into the manager's office complaining. But it is a totally different game now.

"I watched Mitoma in the Brentford game and I thought that his touch and everything around it was really good. He attacked the full-back well with his pace but sometimes his final ball can be frustrating.

"But you have just got to manage the players well and hopefully he will start to hit some really good form sooner or later."

Aspinall added: "I think they are managing his minutes. They must be, because he is our best wide player. We have got four players to choose from [in that area] and he is the best one.

"We saw when he came on against Aston Villa and Arsenal that he changed the game. Thomas Partey didn't know what to do against him. He did Partey, who had a two-yard start on him, with his first touch of the ball.

"No defender wants players going in behind and taking them on. They want these wide players to take it 15 yards, come back and give it back to their goalkeeper or someone in their backline."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

The year's first episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast is now available on BBC Sounds.

Former Brighton defender Guy Butters joins Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall to discuss the January transfer window and the start of this season's FA Cup journey.

Listen to the full episode