Key events
“Good result,” reckons Ferguson with classic understatement. He says his lovely first goal was instinct, and praises his teammates for helping him. The players are hoping to get into Europe, and they’ve a really good chance of making that happen.
Full-time: Brighton 5-0 Grimsby
So Brighton power-cruise into the last four, and look a very serious outfit indeed. But for a second let’s focus on Grimsby, who’ve done a tremendous job in getting to this stage, elevating the finest cup competition in the world – and how many of us can say that?
90+2 min And Mitoma almost makes it six! Gross curls in a gorgeous ball from the right and Mitoma, coming in off the left, controls on the move with characteristic technique, bursting into the box before opening body to pass just wide of the far post.
90 min Two added minutes.
GOAL! Brighton 5-0 Grimsby (Mitoma 90)
Ach, that’s cruel. Waterfall tries to dribble out, he’s caught by someone – Ayare I think – and when the ball’s worked back to Mitoma, he shoots low … and against poor old Waterfall, whose deflection takes the ball past Crocombe at the near post.
89 min Nice from Mitoma who flummoxes Efete on the outside then backheels for Ayare, whose shot is blocked behind; from the corner, Webster has a shot that’s saved.
87 min Leon Osman gives Ferguson his player of the match award, which makes sense. What i like about him is how well-rounded he is, and his ability to see in simplicity when around him everything’s rushing. He might just be that goalscorer we’ve spent the last few seasons saying Brighton need to complete them.
86 min Nearly a moment for Grimsby! Glennon tosses into the box, Taylor knocks down and steps away as McAtee strides onto it … but Sanchez palms away his attempted far-post curler.
85 min March is 28 now, so this might not be a run of form but the player he now is; the player De Zerbi has made him. I can’t wait to see how he and Brighton do next term.
GOAL! Brighton 4-0 Grimsby (March 83)
Solly March Solly March Solly March Solly March! More Brighton possession, before Webster flips a bvall over the top and into the box, whereupon March applies a conclusive and very fine diving header! That’s eight goals in his last 14 games!
82 min “If it’s a Brighton-Manchester United 40-year reunion in the Cup final and there’s an ‘and Ferguson must score’ situation, you suspect he will.”
Yup, he looks the absolute biz.
81 min Here come Brighton again, building down the right before March lofts infield towards the near post, where Welbeck drills low and Crocombe parries behind. The corner comes to nowt.
79 min Almost a brilliant start for Ayare, who’s already a full Swedish international. Caicedo flips a ball into the middle from not far outside the box and he rolls with it, looking to apply an overhead kick finish and missing contact by very little.
77 min Two more changes for Brighton, Ayare and Van Hecker replacing Mac Allister and Dunk. Ayare is a Swedish midfielder, signed from AIK, making his debut, and Van Hecker is a centre-back.
75 min Danny Welbeck has such a lovely touch – he’d be a better fit for the current Man United team than Wout Weghorst – and he gets his body around a loose ball, turning and making off with it at the same time. But just as he’s planning his clinical finish, Smith slides in to make a tremendous, likely goal-saving challenge.
75 min “That wasn’t a foul in the box,” says Andy Flintoff. “The lean was outside it, it’s just Mitoma decided to take three more steps then trip over his own feet (watch his right leg splay to engineer some contact).”
I’d need to see it again, but on the last view I thought the lean took him straight down. Either way, though, I think it was a foul.
73 min Do Brighton declare, or try to punish? You fear for Grimsby at this point.
71 min Ch ch ch changes: Grimsby withdraw Clifton and Khan for Morris and Taylor; Brighton try Sarmiento and Welbeck for Undav and Ferguson.
GOAL! Brighton 3-0 Grimsby (Ferguson 70)
Again, Brighton play some nice one-touch stuff in midfield, Mac Allister leading the move. And then, when it breaks down, Undav is well-stationed to turn around the corner for Ferguson, who strides onto the ball, composes, and passes a curler inside the near post, this time with his left foot. He is good!
70 min After this game finishes, I’ll bring you the draw for the last four, after which you can enjoy the final game of the round – which of course makes no sense other than financial sense.
68 min So Brighton take their corner, nodded back across by Dunk, and Webster extends a foot to send a shot into the post! Brighton should be well clear now and they’re not, but they’re very clearly clear enough.
66 min Mitoma skirts around the outside of Efete, who leans on him just enough to send him to ground, but on the blind side so no penalty is given on the pitch … and VAR says nothing doing. It was a foul, I think, though not serious enough for me to watch an 80% chance of goal to come from it.
66 min “This afternoon’s scoresheet at the Emirates is a variant on the old Boom Xhaka Saka Laca,” notes Simon Pitfield.
64 min The ref is, apparently, threatening to take the players off the pitch if the Grimsby fans continue hurling missiles of scrunched-paper.
62 min Caicedo is down clutching head and face after a few words with he’ll carry on through it all, he’s a Waterfall; we see the incident again, and it ain’t no thing, the latter levering the former to the ground and no more.
60 min Grimsby win a corner, but there’s a pause as the Grimsby fans are told to stop chucking scrunched up paper onto the pitch. It’s a veritable deluge! Sanchez claims the corner at the back post.
58 min But now here come Grimsby, Webster extending a leg after Hunt flicks on a goalkick and McAtee is in! But he can’t get purchase on his shot, Sanchez is out quickly, and smothers easily enough.
56 min Brighton break through again, March finding Mac Allister, who coaxes a through-pass into Undav’s path. He draws the keeper, squares, and Ferguson rolls home … but then, as they celebrate, the flag goes up. That took a long old time, for a decision that was pretty clear.
56 min Mitoma whizzes in off the last, across his man and into the box … then passes a curler just wide of the far corner.
55 min “As an Arsenal fan I don’t say this lightly,” emails Kári Tulinius, “but that goal by Ferguson was Bergkampesque. Both touches were perfection, and the way he slotted it into the corner insouciant.”
Yes, I see what you mean. And like Bargkamp, he’s got a bit of edge to him too.
53 min Arsenal now lead Palace 3-1, Xhaka and Schlupp with the goals since the last update.
GOAL! Brighton 2-0 Grimsby (Ferguson 51)
Evan Ferguson is a superstar! Colwill starts the move with a firm ball into midfield, then Mac Allister curls in towards Ferguson. But there’s not just work to do, there’s a whole bloody shift, and doesn’t Ferguson do it brilliantly, extending a leg to cushion the ball down before sweeping it into stride and away from the defender with another perfect touch, before calmly opening body to pass past Crocombe. Game over, and what a player Ferguson is going to become; what a player he already is.
49 min March crosses yet again from the right, a deflection sends it looping towards the far corner … and agains the far post! But the ball bounces directly into the path of Undav … who absolutely splatters his shot over the bar!
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