Brighton left-back Bernardo admits the Seagulls’ squad is loving their current FA Cup after they reached the quarter-finals by beating Derby County on Saturday.

Chris Hughton’s men booked their spot in the last eight of the competition thanks to a 2-1 success at the AMEX Stadium.

Winger Anthony Knockaert opened the scoring before Jurgen Locadia then made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time.

Brighton looked to have the game in the bag, but Derby defender Ashley Cole scored his first goal for the Rams during only his second appearance. The south coast club ultimately prevailed though and Bernardo insists he is enjoying the club’s progress after a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

He told the club’s official website: “The FA Cup is one of the most respected cup competitions in the world and we’re going through.

We played very well in the first half, the second half was not so good, but the most important thing for the club is to go through.

“It’s a big achievement for the club and I’m pleased to be a part of it. We will keep dreaming, taking it match by match and see where we go.”

Brighton are now 17.00 to win the FA Cup this season but they need to improve their league form before relegation becomes a serious possibility.

Hughton and his squad will head off on a warm-weather training camp on Monday before then taking on Leicester City on February 26.