NEWCASTLE, England - Danny Welbeck scored deep into extra time to send Brighton & Hove Albion into the FA Cup quarterfinals with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Newcastle United on Sunday after both teams were reduced to 10 men.
Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Brighton's Yankubah Minteh scored in the first half before Welbeck struck the winner in the 114th minute with an exquisite finish from a tight angle.
"It was a very emotional game," Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler told the BBC. "Lots of ups and downs. The key was we stayed together, we stayed calm, we tried to find solutions."
Isak opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when he planted his penalty, awarded after Minteh fouled Tino Livramento, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into the far corner.
It was Isak's 22nd goal in all competitions this season.
Minteh atoned for his mistake when he sprinted on to a threaded pass from Joao Pedro to equalize in the 44th minute.
Newcastle's Anthony Gordon and Brighton's Tariq Lamptey were sent off in the closing stages of normal time.
Gordon was shown a red card for his shove to the head of Jan Paul van Hecke while Brighton were reduced to 10 players in the 91st minute when Lamptey earned a second yellow card for a lunging tackle on Jacob Murphy.
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Newcastle, six-times FA Cup winners, had two goals chalked off for offside in regulation time. Isak thought he had doubled the lead in the 32nd minute and Fabian Schar celebrated what he thought was the winning goal deep into stoppage-time before that was also ruled out.
"It's great to get the winning goal," Welbeck told ITV. "It was a solid team performance and there was a lot going on in that game today. Lots of ups and downs, but we stuck with it. I'm so proud of the lads.
"Newcastle can always put you under pressure. They are very dangerous, but we stuck to our guns and we put in a great shift. I am feeling very good, feeling fit and feeling strong."
Brighton's reward was a home quarterfinal against either Nottingham Forest or Ipswich Town, who meet on Monday.
Newcastle will now have to pick themselves up for the League Cup final against Liverpool on March 16 when they will attempt to win their first major trophy since 1955.
"It's not a great day for us, but it could have been - we talk about fine margins in football, but if Fab's disallowed goal had been onside by the shortest of distances, we would be sitting here saying it was an amazing win and what great character the players showed," manager Eddie Howe said.
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"I don't know if the cup final has been a negative influence on our performances of late, but I know the level has dropped from where it was a few weeks ago, and the most important thing is that we need to get them back up."
