Roberto De Zerbi reveals element of disappointment after 5-2 win and demands even more from hat-trick hero

Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick as Brighton saw off Sheffield United in a seven-goal FA Cup thriller.

In an impressive 5-2 win, the Brazilian took his goal tally for the season to 18, with two composed penalties and a superb finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Facundo Buonanotte opened the scoring with a sensational long-range strike and Danny Welbeck came off the bench to put the cherry on top of the cake.

“We played very well,” Roberto De Zerbi told reporters, post-match.

"We are disappointed and sad for the two goals we conceded in the first half.

"We have to improve and work harder. We made two mistakes.

"First half we deserved to win 2/3-0. But two goals made it an unfair result I think.”

Pedro stole headlines as his exceptional scoring record continued. The £30m signing from Watford has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season.

“I consider Joao Pedro to be big potential player,” De Zerbi said.

"My expectation is bigger than what he is showing. He is playing very well and scoring a lot of goals but he can reach a higher level. I push for it.

“I am working to improve my players. I want them to be better.”

The Italian made similar comments in his interview with BBC Sport.

He said: “We can improve in the situations where we conceded.

"We deserved to win without those goals. We were playing very well in the first half.

"If we want to compete at a high level we can't concede two goals like this."

The result sees Albion move onto the fifth round of the FA Cup, as they aim to right the wrongs of last season’s heart-breaking semi-final defeat.

De Zerbi told the BBC: “It's too early to speak about trophies for sure.

"We have the right attitude, we have the behaviour to keep this level. I don't know if we will win something this season but I know we will fight and do our best in all competitions."