World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister scored his first targets since getting back from Qatar as Brighton eased previous Sky Bet Championship Middlesbrough to succeed in the FA Cup fourth spherical.
The Argentina worldwide, a half-time substitute for Adam Lallana on the Riverside Stadium, produced deft 58th-minute and Eightieth-minute finishes to cement a cushty 5-1 victory for the Premier League aspect.
First-half targets from Pascal Gross and Lallana both aspect of Chuba Akpom’s equaliser – his 14th of the season – had set the guests on their manner.
Substitute Deniz Undav added a late fifth on a day when Michael Carrick’s promotion hopefuls got a style of what awaits them ought to they make it out of the second tier this season.
Mac Allister needed to make do with a seat on the bench as soon as once more as Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi fielded a powerful line-up that includes seven of the boys who began Tuesday’s 4-1 Premier League win at struggling Everton.
The guests began strongly with Kaoru Mitoma distinguished down the left and linking menacingly with Gross.
It was skipper Gross who made the breakthrough with simply eight minutes gone when, after the unmarked Solly March had run on to Evan Ferguson’s clever move to pressure Zack Steffen to save lots of, he adopted up and slotted into the empty internet.
The Teessiders had been struggling to maintain the Seagulls at bay however they acquired themselves stage after 13 minutes when former Boro keeper Jason Steele might solely contact Akpom’s header on to the publish and noticed the ball spin into his internet.
Steele got here to Brighton’s rescue after 23 minutes when Matt Crooks picked out Riley McGree’s run with an astute flick-on and he raced in on objective earlier than unleashing a stinging drive which the keeper tipped over his crossbar.
Steffen was barely much less convincing in coping with Gross’ Twenty sixth-minute free-kick and was choosing the ball out of his internet as soon as once more on the half-hour when Mitoma fed March’s cross again to the far publish and Lallana headed house from point-blank vary.
Steele saved comfortably from Crooks and Jan Paul Van Hecke hacked away Akpom’s cross on the close to publish as Boro responded however Steffen needed to take care of a well-struck Mitoma effort to make sure the hosts went in on the break only a single objective in deficit.
Mac Allister changed Lallana on the interval because the guests returned in decided temper they usually might have killed the sport off inside three minutes had March not directed a free header from Pervis Estupinan’s inviting cross straight at Steffen.
The hosts might merely not escape their very own half with Moises Caicedo and Mac Allister dominating the center of the park and the Argentinian acquired his reward when he reacted well to flick Estupinan’s raking shot previous Steffen and inside his left publish.
Mac Allister twice went shut with free-kicks and finally doubled his tally when he transformed Gross’ low cross with the minimal of fuss earlier than Undav accomplished the job with two minutes remaining.
