'The last thing Brighton would've wanted' - Sky pundit reacts to dramatic FA Cup win vs Newport County

The Seagulls looked to have won the tie in normal time after Solly March struck in the last minute to give them a 1-0 lead, but a goalkeeping error from stand-in stopper Jason Steele led to an Adam Webster own goal in stoppage time, and meant that Albion had to play an extra 30 minutes.

Graham Potter’s side then scraped through to the fourth round on penalties, with Steele redeeming himself with four saves in the shootout.

But given Brighton’s recent struggles in the Premier League, plus the prospect of a midweek trip to face Manchester City to consider, Smith has suggested that wrapping up Sunday’s cup tie inside 90 minutes would have been much more beneficial for Potter’s men.

Speaking on Sky Sports News' Football Show, she said: “It [going to extra time] is the last thing Brighton would’ve wanted.

"We have to praise Newport and how they approached the game, but it was a difficult situation for Brighton.

"You look at Jason Steele the goalkeeper, obviously made the mistake that took them to extra time. He was then fantastic in the penalty shootout, so he managed to turn that around.

"There have been questions over Graham Potter’s team selection, and the fact that they play lovely stuff – neat and tidy stuff – but they just lack that cutting edge in front of goal. They struggle defensively with crosses coming into the box.

"Against Arsenal, they had no recognised striker, which seemed bizarre to me, and then against Wolves it was a real spirited performance, so we’ve seen real ups and downs from Brighton.

"I suppose the fact that they scraped through, they can maybe take a little bit of heart from that, you use that going into your next game, but it doesn’t get any easier when you’ve got Manchester City coming up.”

Brighton have enjoyed mixed fortunes in the FA Cup in recent seasons.

Last year, the Seagulls were ousted in the third round by Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday, but made it all the way to the semi-finals the season prior, eventually being beaten 1-0 by Wednesday’s opponents, Man City.