Ashley Cole is a legend of the FA Cup that is for sure. The former England left-back has won seven FA Cups, more than any other player in the history of the game. Only Petr Cech and Patrick Vieira come anywhere close to Cole, with five wins apiece but it looks like his record is set to stand for some time.
Now Cole has made more personal FA Cup history by bagging his first ever goal in the competition. His goal came as Derby County, managed by former Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard, took on Brighton and Hove Albion at the AMEX stadium.
The Premier League side looked a class above Derby for the majority of the game, firing themselves into a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Anthony Knockaert and Jurgen Locadia in the first half. However, in the second 45, Derby launched a spirited comeback, with the Championship side controlling possession and creating a few decent chances.
Finally, with just ten minutes to go, Cole made history. Florian Jozefzoon was played in by Tom Huddlestone over the top and broke into the Brighton box. He went down under a challenge but the ball came to defender Da Burn who made a hash of the clearance, placing the ball straight onto Cole’s head.
The 38-year-old managed to control his header and put it past the goalkeeper, putting Derby right back in the tie. As it happened, they could not force an equaliser and Brighton booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win.
So it is not to be for Cole in this year’s FA Cup, but he has finally broken that long-standing hoodoo of never scoring in the prestigious competition. Watch the goal down below.
⚽️ One FA Cup goal!
Ashley Cole scores to provide Derby with a lifeline 💪
