#PLStories- Graham Potter praises team efforts in FA Cup win versus West Brom #BHAFC

Graham Potter said he was happy with Albion’s comeback from a goal down to beat West Brom 2-1 in the FA Cup third round this afternoon. Albion fielded a strong side but found themselves one nil down before substitute Jakub Moder levelled the scores with a cool near-post finish 81 minutes in. Brighton were denied by former keeper David Button on several occasions. But Neal Maupay secured the victory in extra time to continue his strong form and take Albion into the next round of the cup. The opening stages saw West Brom put Albion under pressure, with Potter’s side taking some time to find their rhythm with a slightly rotated team. Danny Welbeck was played in by Pascal Gross but saw his effort saved by David Button one-on-one. Meanwhile Enock Mwepu came off in the first half with a suspected hamstring injury and was replaced by Alexis Mac Allister. Neal Maupay also had a glorious chance when he was poked through by Welbeck, but the Frenchman was denied by Button on the verge of half time to keep it all square. It would not take long for West Brom to ruffle some Albion feathers, with Karlan Grant slipping a ball into Callum Robinson who slotted past Scherpen just two minutes into the second half. Albion were given a life line back into the game 69 minutes in when Cedric Kipre was sent off for two yellow cards in the space of a couple of minutes, the second for a pull on Trossard’s shirt. Two Albion substitutes combined when 17-year-old Evan Ferguson played a ball into Jakub Moder, who finished expertly at the front post past David Button. Cucurella’s introduction also made a noticeable difference on the left-hand side. Ferguson almost scored a first senior goal when he was played in and dinked just over, with the ball landing on the roof of the net. Evan Ferguson looked sharp on his senior debut Albion continued to apply the pressure to West Brom with David Button making a number of smart saves from Albion’s long range efforts to take the game into extra time. But Albion's one man advantage would pay dividends, Jakub Moder found space on the right-hand side and turned provider with a pass into the area which was well left by Leandro Trossard for Neal Maupay, who continued his good recent form with a smart finish into the near post eight minutes into extra time. Evan Ferguson also had a goal pulled back for offside after a pass through from Moder again, but the youngster strayed well offside. The closing stages of the match were straight-forward for Potter’s men, who were left with an abundance of space against West Brom’s tiring legs. Potter applauds Albion's travelling support who were in fine voice Potter said they knew it would be a tough match but he was happy to progress in the cup. He said: “It was hard work, we thought it would be and knew it would be because of West Brom’s quality and style of play. They’re very competitive so we had to compete with that, which we did. “We conceded against the run of play I thought from pretty much their only chance and the response was good. But in the end, really nice to go through and I’m happy to go through. “We will try our best in the FA Cup, it was important for us to go through today, we wanted to win. We picked a team with that in mind, to win. “As you can see from results in the competition, it’s not straightforward but we had a good mentality. The away support was fantastic and we’re delighted to go through.” The fourth round draw for the FA Cup takes place after tomorrow’s games at 4.50pm.