I FEARED WE WERE DEN FOR

Hughton thought ‘wasted’ free-kick was end of Seagulls dream

CHRIS HUGHTON admitted he feared Brighton were out of the FA Cup before twice coming back from the dead to reach the semi-finals in dramatic style.

But the Albion boss insisted his Premier League side deserved their late luck as he called for VAR to be used in all cup games.

After a “proper cup tie” which came within seconds of producing a giantkilling, Brighton eventually reached their first FA Cup semifinal since the days of Jimmy Melia and Jimmy Case when Millwall’s Jake Cooper scooped the final penalty over the bar.

The south coast side had trailed in the shootout after Glenn Murray fired against the bar with the first kick.

But for once, the real drama in this tie was not from 12 yards.

Trailing 2-0 after 88 minutes and with the Millwall fans singing ‘Man- chester City, we’re coming for you’, Brighton pulled back a goal from sub Jurgen Locadia before winning a free-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Sub Solly March overhit his attempted cross – only for Millwall keeper Dave Martin to inexplicably bundle the ball into his own net. Maybe Brighton’s name really is on the old trophy after all these years. Not that Hughton thought so. “I might not have shown it but I was going mad because that was going to be our last good opportunity,” he said. “I think that was what you call a proper cup tie.”

Hughton reckoned justice was done in the end after three big decisions went against his side earlier in the wind, rain and sleet of south London.

And, like in south Wales on Saturday night when Manchester City sneaked through, there was no VAR to correct officiating errors.

Brighton claimed a penalty for a first-half challenge on Shane Duffy and reckoned Murray was blocked when Alex Pearce headed home Shaun Williams’ corner to put Millwall ahead after 70 minutes.

And Locadia had a “winner” wrongly disallowed in extra time

when assistant referee Sian Massey incorrectly ruled Martin Montoya offside in the build-up.

“There are moments in the game that go for you and go against you,” said Hughton. “There were three that went against us while Solly’s bit of fortune went for us.

“But I think it is unfair that there is not VAR at all grounds. If a team has benefitted from it in one game, then I certainly don’t think it is fair on the teams that don’t benefit from it.” Hughton had shown his intention by sending out his strongest side but Brighton were second-best to the Championship strugglers for the first 94 minutes.

However dubious the goal, Millwall deserved to take the lead and then double it after 79 minutes when Aiden O’Brien flicked in Jed Wallace’s cross.

Brighton finally responded when Locadia fired home after Montoya crossed in the 89th minute but it seemed too little, too late.

But trying to run down the clock, Lions boss Neil Harris took off his three best attackers – O’Brien, Lee Gregory and Wallace – in the closing stages before the equaliser to leave his shellshocked side shorn of inspiration in extra time.

“Hindsight is wonderful,” Harris admitted. “Our opportunity to win the quarter-final was 2-0 up in the 89th minute. Would I change anything I did. No? The 11 players we had on the pitch should have been capable of seeing out a 2-0 lead.”