Arsenal Under-18s stuck it out in a well-fought victory to secure their place in this season's FA Youth Cup quarter finals.
The young Gunners were pegged back twice by Brighton & Hove Albion Under-18s after Sam Greenwood's brace but goals from Miguel Azeez and a ricocheted Ben Cottrell cross which flew over Roco Rees gifted them a 4-3 win.
Seeing off the Seagulls means that Ken Gillard's side face either Blackburn Rovers or Preston North End in the next round of the cup away from home.
football.london take a look at some of the talking points from the victory at Meadow Park.
Ben Cottrell's captain's display
Playing across the Under-23s and Under-18s this season, Ben Cottrell captained the latter side once more in the FA Youth Cup.
Why the 18-year-old was handed the armband was clear within minutes. Both in and out of possession, he was the one to make things happen for Arsenal first.
On the ball, he was a step ahead of everybody else. Often times, he would move the ball so quickly that the Brighton midfielders had no option other than bringing him down. His sharpest pass came early on when he clipped the ball into Ryan Alebiosu whose cutback across the box was only dealt with by a stray Brighton boot.
Similar to Azeez, however, it was Cottrell's defensive work that made the difference. Playing as the No.10. mostly, he was the one to initiate presses. Luckily enough, he had got his timing down to a tee and picked the exact right moment to engage the Brighton defenders as he latched onto a loose pass, fed the ball to Sam Greenwood and a few phases later, Arsenal were ahead.
Moments after Brighton drew level from the spot, he was the one to drive into their box and win a penalty of his own - it was stuck away by Greenwood.
As the game went on, tensions began to flare up and Cottrell did well to meet the threshold but not overstep the mark. He would fully commit to challenges to make a point to the referee that he'd give as good as he got and did well not to get booked for doing so. As captain, he was able to have quick conversations with the referee which could have helped him monitor how close he was to a booking.
With Arsenal under increasing pressure, his next development in the game came when he began picking up great spaces to receive the ball. In the final third, this was mostly in the channel between the left-back and left-sided centre-back. In the defensive third, he would drop just in front of his own backline to pick up the ball, suck in markers and push it forward to his teammates in space.
Overall it was a great display from the 18-year-old who contributed massively to the win.
Hubert Graczyk's dominant performance
The goalkeeper played a massive part in Arsenal reaching the FA Youth Cup quarter finals.
Brighton's most dangerous spells came at the end of each half and Hubert Graczyk rose to the challenge on both occasions. After going 1-0 down in the first half, the young Seagulls began pelting crosses into the Arsenal box and every time the 16-year-old came out confidently to thwart them.
Making his way through bodies to punch before being clattered, staying alert to dipping free kicks and quick snapshots inside the box, he handled the pressure extremely well. He could be let off for not saving Steff Vukoje's penalty as even though he dived the right way, the spot kick flew right into the bottom corner.
In the second half, Graczyk assumed a similar responsibility which paid off late in the game. Brighton were constantly trying to turn the Arsenal defence with balls in behind but the 'keeper was alert and quick enough off his line to get rid of the danger. The goals he conceded came from defensive errors rather than goalkeeping ones and in the dying moments he stepped up again.
A point-blank save from a header six yards out gave Arsenal extra assurance but soon after, the home crowd were looking away anxiously once more. Brighton had worked their way into the six-yard box with some outstanding one touch football and Marc Leonard was in. Graczyk stayed big, however, and forced Leonard to steer a shot that should have been buried wide for a goal kick.
Despite just being 16, the way he was able to handle pressure and take charge of situations was impressive. It was for sure a performance that should encourage him as the tournament goes on.
More to Miguel Azeez than his attacking play
Miguel Azeez has become known for his talent on the ball and his goal to make it 3-2 vs Brighton will only help that cause - a perfectly timed volley in a crowded box when they game was reaching its climax. But the overall display his goal capped off should not go unnoticed.
Although he was able to make an impact going forward, because of Charlie Patino's early yellow card, he carried much of the defensive responsibility in midfield.
The way Azeez was able to adapt his game to the needs of the team was crucial. He could burst forward when needed before sliding passes into his onrushing wingers while also hold his deeper position to pick off opposition passes and start Arsenal attacks from there.
As Brighton started the game on top, this was key to Gillard's side getting back into the game, ahead and then somewhat slowing the pace down before the visitors produced a final 10 minutes of chaos. Even when this happened, however, the 17-year-old didn't shy away from his responsibilities. Free kick after free kick was swung into the box but along with Alex Kirk, Azeez was the player to step up and meet the ball.
His well-taken goal will get people talking but his midfield performance in general was incredibly mature and should offer more encouragement for seasons ahead.
