FA Cup 2018: Final 3rd-Round Results, Scores and Reaction

Brighton & Hove Albionadvanced to the fourth round of the 2017-18 FA Cup after they defeatedCrystal Palace 2-1thanks toa late Glenn Murray winneron Monday evening.The Seagulls started the M23 derby duel as the more positive side and got their opener through Dale Stephens, although Bakary Sako pulled the travelling team level with his long-range strike in the second half.Brighton's reward for the cup victory is a fourth-round meeting with Championship side Middlesbrough after they were drawn opposite one another in Monday's draw.Football on BT Sport provided a look at the fourth-round slate in full, which won't feature Arsenal, Everton, Burnley or Stoke City, all of whom were knocked out in the latest set of results:Read on for a recap of Monday's sole FA Cup fixture as the competition's third round edged nearer to its close.Visit the official FA website for a breakdown of the third-round results in full.RecapBrighton came into Monday's meeting having lost only twice at the Falmer Stadium in their first Premier League campaign, although Palace were on a five-match unbeaten league run away from Selhurst Park.Monday's FA Cup clash also saw video assistant referee (VAR) make its debut in English football, as explained by MailOnline's Matthew Smith, although it wasn't called for in its maiden appearance. The BBC's Richard Conway provided a look at the tool:Both teams were set back by early injuries on the south coast as Brighton and Palace had to replace Izzy Brown and Jeffrey Schlupp, respectively, after they were both hurt in the same challenge.Right-back Ezequiel Schelotto got up the field on 25 minutes to feed Stephens through on goal, and his blasted effort had too much drive for Eagles goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to keep out, via BT Sport:Despite the rival nature of this fixture, the Falmer Stadium was filled with empty seats for the midweek meeting, giving the visitors an easier time in terms of responding to their first-half setback.Their reward came through Sako with just over 20 minutes remaining, when he picked the ball up from range before pinging a skipped effort off the inside of the Brighton frame, earning praise from The Independent's Ed Malyon:Murray has played the role of super-sub for Brighton in the past and needed only six minutes to have a decisive impact, converting at the back post against his former club to see Brighton through to the next stage.While avoiding the replay to set up a fourth-round encounter with Middlesbrough is the best outcome the Seagulls could have hoped for, a trip to the north-east on the last weekend of January offers no guarantees.
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