Tribal Football

Brighton boss Hurzeler insists FA Cup win against Chelsea deserved

Paul Vegas
Brighton boss Hurzeler insists FA Cup win against Chelsea deserved
Brighton boss Hurzeler insists FA Cup win against Chelsea deservedAction Plus
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler insists they deserved their FA Cup win against Chelsea.

Chelsea had the lead through through an own goal from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. However, the Seagulls fought back to win 2-1 thanks to efforts from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma. Chelsea felt Mitoma's winner should've been disallowed for a handball incident in the lead-up.

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Hurzeler said afterwards: "Great reaction. We showed character after that start. I'm proud of how they came back. It's not easy. That's why it was well deserved.

"Mistakes happen. If a keeper makes a mistake normally it's a goal. We try to support him because he's a great goalkeeper.

"Georginio Rutter is doing good. He adapted quickly to the intensity of the Premier League. He has great skills and showed it today.

"It was a togetherness on the pitch. It's a team performance. They bounced back, they stuck together. They didn't point fingers after losing. They took ownership."

On no VAR, he added: "But that's it. That's football. With VAR football is getting not that emotional like today. Everyone agrees that today was a great atmosphere. They can celebrate a goal because they know it's a goal. I'm happy it was like that.

"We always try to stay grounded and work hard. We try not to get euphoric after a good win or panic after a defeat.

"That's why we all love football because you can bounce back. It's not always going up, it's downs. In life it's important to know a successful journey is not a comfortable journey."