Newport 1-1 Brighton (3-4 pens): Jason Steele the shoot-out hero for the Seagulls after goalkeeper’s injury-time howler had sent clash to extra-time
- League Two Newport County hosted Premier League Brighton in the FA Cup
- The first-half passed without a goal as hosts’ keeper Tom King impressed
- Solly March thought he’d won it for Brighton with a 90th minute strike
- However, a horrible error from Jason Steele led to an own-goal with the last kick
- Extra-time then passed goalless, before Adam Webster scored the final penalty
- Steele saved four penalties in the shoot-out to earn Brighton a fourth round spot
Jason Steele dug himself and his team out of a hole by saving four shootout penalties to earn Brighton a ticket into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
His acrobatics in saving spot kicks from Josh Sheehan, Mickey Demetriou, Liam Shephard and Scot Bennett set up Adam Webster to ram home the winner with the 14th penalty of a dramatic shootout as the Premier League outfit went through 4-3.
It was the second time this season that Newport suffered penalty shootout heartbreak in a cup tie at home against Premier League opposition, having been beaten the same way by Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.
Brighton are through in the FA Cup after Jason Steele’s shoot-out heroics against Newport
The former Sunderland keeper made four excellent saves in the dramatic penalty shoot-out
Steele had missed a punch in the final seconds of normal time to allow Newport to equalise
The game sprung into life at the death as Brighton took the lead through Solly March with eight seconds of normal time left, then Webster conceded an own goal in the sixth minute of added time.
Credit to home manager Michael Flynn and his players for not giving up after March appeared to have sent them crashing out of the competition with his shot from the edge of the area. Flynn brought on Jamie Proctor for the four minutes of added time and it was his hustling of Webster that forced the equaliser.
Brighton goalkeeper Steele failed to make any contact with a cross from Shepherd and Webster saw the ball bounce off his chest and roll into the net.
Steele said: ‘We didn’t want penalties and I hold my hands up for my role and responsibility for the goal. It was the last kick of the game. It was a mistake, but I’d like to think I’ve dug myself out a little bit and helped the team get through to the next round. I’m a perfectionist and I like to do my job well.
Newport battled brilliantly, with their defence staying solid throughout in the tight clash
Exiles keeper Tom King had a stunning game too, making several huge saves for Newport
‘I did it for 89 minutes and I had one lapse of judgement which nearly cost the team. You want to redeem yourself.’
Brighton boss Graham Potter had said he would take no chances with selection and it was just as well he didn’t, starting with six players who had been on duty in their last Premier League game against Wolves.
At the end, he described it all as ‘a traumatic experience’.
Early on, Newport’s Matty Dolan sent Padraig Amond racing on to a long ball and he almost made it seven goals in nine cup ties with a lob.
Yves Bissouma pulled all the strings in midfield for Brighton and his 30 yard shot forced Wales squad goalkeeper Tom King into an impressive save before the break.
Brighton thought they’d won it with Solly March’s strike in the 90th minute before more drama
On an awful pitch Brighton were dominant but struggled to break through the League Two side
King also pushed away a bullet header from Lewis Dunk at a corner, held on to an Alexis MacAllister shot and then somehow denied Andi Zeqiri.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic, however, and Steele was very happy to see skipper Dunk save his blushes by clearing a goal-bound lob from the ever-alert Amond after a horrendous back pass from Pascal Gross.
Newport started the second half far more brightly and pushed wing-backs Ryan Haynes and Liam Shephard higher up the pitch. Welsh international Josh Sheehan saw more of the ball and Brighton had to defend far more than they had before the interval.
Zeqiri’s header from a Ben White cross was the best chance before substitute Davy Propper pulled a shot across the goal that missed by mere inches. Sheehan forced Steele to make a great save eight minutes from the end of normal time with a fierce shot. Then came the late drama, extra time and Steele’s redemption in the shootout.