Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi admits Stoke pushed them all the way in their FA Cup win.

The visitors won 4-2 as Joao Pedro's late brace settled the the Third Round tie.

De Zerbi said: "We knew before the game it could be a tough because there aren't easy games in this level. I think we deserved to win and we played well for 90 minutes.

"We conceded the first goal after we made two mistakes with two chances to score.

"After that moment I think we played better than Stoke and I'm very happy with the performance.

"Before the game I asked them to play seriously like it's in the Europa League of the Premier League and they did brilliantly.

"Before we conceded the penalty we had three or four chances to score. When we are focused on the game and when we show the right attitude, I'm always confident we will win.

"It's great that we don't have a replay, we are already playing a lot of games."

On Joao Pedro, he added: "We love Joao.

"I think his potential is bigger than he is showing at the moment.

"He can start games better, in the last period he needs 20 minutes to get in the game but he's a great player and has great potential for this club."