Four years after their last FA Cup semi-final, Brighton are back at Wembley. In fact, it was more than simple progress. Grimsby Town hoped to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 85 years, but he was dismissed without romance or sympathy after scoring just two shots on target. Their raucous fans, they claim, can get back to singing when fishing.
Whatever the gap in the third division, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi has paid tribute to Grimsby and picked his strongest line-up. The fact that this was the last game before the international break probably helped. Suspended for the touchline, he watched from the box as his assistant Andrea Maldera took his place in the technical area.
From there, he could see the tone set within the first minute when Evan Ferguson shot Max Crocom clinging to his chest. Caicedo fired a shot, but this time Crocom couldn’t stop it. It bounced off him, with Deniz Unduff reacting first and triumphantly converting.
Still, early on, it was difficult to see the unexpected return of the pink-shirted Grimsby from the Lincolnshire team. It seemed a little unsettling, as if under time pressure to create something. Consider the moment Harry Clifton ran into Adam Webster’s misguided pass.
Brighton did their best to stay competitive. Mitma his crow missed the sitter, the dunk nearly scored a comedy own goal of the season, and Robert Sanchez was sent off for being within an inch of collecting the ball outside the area. But in reality they seemed to be in complete control.
And as soon as the second half began, Brighton set aside all thoughts of a huge kill. De Zerbi eerily responded to the goal by texting his message. Perhaps he had been warned of yet another good player whose club could get him for a small amount and make a lot of money.
After one was ruled out by VAR after Solly March was deemed offside for a pace build-up, Ferguson scored the second with a great run and shot after being cleverly played by Andab. March added a fourth with a great diving header, and Mitoma finally found his target with a long-range shot for the fifth.
“We’re heading to Wembley,” sang the home support. I never gambled on coming.
