Aston Villa win will give Brighton a lot of confidence - Umotong

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The Seagulls progressed to the fifth round of the competition, after a hardfought triumph over Aston Villa on Sunday

Brighton striker Ini Umotong feels her side’s win over Aston Villa in Sunday's Women's FA Cup will boost their confidence ahead of upcoming fixtures in the English top-flight this season.

The Seagulls defeated the Championship outfit 3-2 to book a fifth-round place and first win in last four games in all competitions this term, with their last triumph a 1-0 win over Liverpool on January 5.

The 25-year-old has scored five goals in all competitions this season after managing just one goal in 11 league outings this term.

Ahead of a clash against Everton at the People's Pension Stadium on Sunday, the Nigerian international believes they can bounce back to winning ways in the Women's Super League campaign.

“It was a really good crowd, very lively and we could hear the drums out on the pitch," Umotong told the club website.

"It’s always fun to play for a crowd like this and you could definitely feel that it was an FA Cup tie. We knew that the time when we are most vulnerable is in the five minutes after we scored.

"So we knew it would be tough but we bounced back really well getting two more goals in the half and we could have got more.

“They are a strong side and they are in a good position in their league. They threw a lot of bodies forward at the end, but we controlled it very well and managed to see it out.

"This will give us a lot of confidence going into the upcoming league matches.

"We are just building and finding things to work on, and we were able to practice things we want to do in the league and help build on our form.”

Having recovered her scoring boots with Brighton's opener in Sunday's triumph over Aston Villa, Umotong is delighted with her return to scoring ways after recent unfortunate misses.

“I thought we dominated the game. We got complacent at times in the second half, but we still saw it out," she continued.

"It was a really good performance, especially in the first half, as we were scoring goals and creating a lot of chances.

"We worked on that a lot last week in training and it’s really nice to see it pay off during the game.

“It was good to score the penalty, especially after last time (missing in the Continental League Cup earlier this month against Manchester United).

"The girls gave me a lot of confidence, which was really nice, so I took a lot of belief from them when I stepped up to take it.”

With her club just three points above the relegation zone, Umotong will hope to replicate her scoring form when they welcome fifth-placed Everton to West Sussex.

2020-01-28 23:00:07

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