Glenn Murray says Brighton's win at Crystal Palace is perfect preparation for Millwall FA Cup tie

Glenn Murray will warn his Brighton team-mates over what to expect when they visit Millwall on FA Cup duty next week but believes Saturday’s triumph at a similarly hostile Selhurst Park provides the perfect preparation for their assault on Wembley.

Brighton survived an intimidating atmosphere at their old rivals to take a huge step towards Premier League survival. Now many Sussex supporters sense this could be a year for FA Cup glories.

Murray set Brighton on the road to their first double over Palace since 1984 with a thumping opening goal. They then overcame the setback of Luka Milivojevic’s leveller from the penalty spot to seal victory with a goal-of-the-month contender from Anthony Knockaert.

Knockaert, however, was fortunate to still be on the pitch after a studs-up lunge at Milivojevic in the opening seconds brought only a yellow card from referee Craig Pawson.

It all sets up Brighton perfectly for another trip to London on Sunday, when they face Millwall for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Murray will make sure Albion’s foreign contingent know what to expect when they step out into the cauldron of the Den to take on the relegation-threatened Championship side who have already removed Everton on their way to the sixth round.

“We will sit them down and give them the heads up. They’ve probably never been anywhere like that before,” Murray said. “But there’s nowhere more difficult than this.

“When they got the equaliser this afternoon and their fans were behind them, there’s no more difficult place. It will be similar to that. It’s almost a cup final for both clubs with the chance of a day out at Wembley, so we know what to expect.”

Although Chris Hughton, Brighton’s manager, maintains Premier League survival remains the priority, dressing-room attention is fixed firmly on FA Cup progress.

“That’s our focus now. We can do special things. We can get to Wembley for the semi-finals and you never know what might happen,” said Lewis Dunk, the stand-in captain who showed true leadership qualities in Brighton’s backline on Saturday.

Dunk played a full part in Brighton’s wild celebrations at the final whistle on Saturday. While a clearly emotional Knockaert  removed his shirt to display tattoos of both his father and son, the Brighton-born Dunk also made the most of the moment.

Dunk said: “It’s giving something back to the fans. I’m a local boy, they are the rival club so I’m always going to get it. It’s just nice to celebrate in their ground at the end.”

He also hailed Knockaert’s stunning winner, saying “It was a special finish and you could see what it meant to us at the end. We need people to stand up like that and he did. He couldn’t have placed it any better.”

Dunk epitomised Brighton’s determination and resilience, and is being backed by his manager for a call-up to the England set-up when Gareth Southgate names his squad for the two forthcoming Euro qualifiers on Wednesday.

Hughton said: “He’s at that level. What got him the cap in the first place is what he has now. There would not be any player in the England manager’s thinking that is not going to be up and down. I don’t think he’s changed. He is still the same level of player as he ever was.”

Palace also have an interest in the FA Cup but the mood around Selhurst Park was in stark contrast to that of their fierce rivals.

Roy Hodgson’s side face a similarly awkward quarter-final on Saturday when they travel to Watford.

Palace, however, can draw hope from the fact their away form is significantly better than that they produce in front of their home supporters, where they have now won just one of their last seven league matches.

Milivojevic summed up south London frustrations after they emerged with nothing to show from a game in which they enjoyed 60 per cent of the possession.

The Palace captain said: “For 90 minutes we controlled the game and in the end they had two shots and scored two goals. Brighton defended very well. We are very disappointed. What can we do? That’s football.”

Palace, like Brighton, are on the fringes of the relegation battle but can lend their season a whole new dimension with FA Cup success.

Milivojevic said: “We're going to try to reach the semi-final to bring our fans to Wembley. We're going to have a whole week to prepare for that game and from Monday we are turning our attention to that one."