Albion 2, Arsenal 3

If only they had performed for 90 minutes, instead of 45.

Albion, with less quality and depth to the squad, bowed out of the FA Cup by the same score against Arsenal as at the Amex two years ago.

In that sense honour in defeat is very much in tact, even if the bare facts mask a smoother passage for the Gunners than in 2013.

But Chris Hughton's players will probably have regrets today about a first half display which gave them too much of a mountain to climb to add their name to the extraordinary expolits of Bradford City, Middlesbrough and Cambridge United.

They were so slow out of the blocks, it was like trying to catch Usain Bolt.

A goal down after two minutes, the deficit doubled inside 25, an admirable second half fightback was not quite enough to force a lucrative replay at the Emirates.

It might have been if Calum Chambers had been penalised with four minutes left when substitute Adrian Colunga's cross from a couple of yards away struck the Arsenal defender's left arm.

Referee Michael Oliver, unfortunately for the Seagulls, kept his arms by his side, closer to his side than Chambers, whose dangling upper limbs invited scrutiny.

Penalties have certainly been given - and not given - in similar circumstances this season, such is the inconsistency over handball decisions.

In truth, Albion did not deserve a second chance. A repeat of their rude awakening to to the top flight in 1979, when Arsenal dismissed them 4-0 at the Goldstone, looked on the cards at the interval.

Considerable credit is due for avoiding a similar mishap, which might have done psychological damage to the priority of continuing to climb away from trouble in the Championship.

Rather than a heavy beating of the kind suffered by beleaguered next opponents Blackpool at Watford on Saturday, Albion will head for Lancashire buoyed by beating Arsenal in the second half. Momentum is very much still with them.

The momentum, initially, was all with Arsenal, as Albion sleepwalked into peril.

Arsene Wenger described the shocking defeats for Chelsea and Manchester City 24 hours earlier as a "sub-conscious warning" for his players.

Suitably persuaded into swift acceleration, they delivered two knockout blows, aided by the Seagulls' slumber.

Less than two minutes in, Chambers skipped past Sam Baldock down the right and crossed to Theo Walcott. Lewis Dunk stood two yards off him, which was fatal.

Injury-plagued Walcott, the late matchwinner in the 2013 clash, was the early wrecker this time with a ruthless angled drive.

You feared for Albion then, even more so when Arsenal went further ahead in the 24th minute.

Tomas Rosicky barely warrants a mention normally among the North London galaxy of stars, but he was superb throughout.

He manufactured the goal with a run inside, under no pressure from Rohan Ince, and reverse pass into Mezu Ozil. The German World Cup winner, like Walcott back in the starting line-up after injury, again had too much time and room.

Again Albion were punished, Ozil converting a routine finish from 12 yards. At that stage an avalanche beckoned.

Baldock blazed wide a rare chance to halve the arrears, but Arsenal appeared in total command at the interval.

Then Hughton got down to work. The half-time break is the only chance a manager really gets to make a difference - players cannot hear or often feign deafness to instructions from the sidelines during the action.

His players needed to get closer to their illustrious opponents, to have more of a physical edge and to stretch them.

They did just that. Five minutes into the restart Baldock made light of his inferior frame by winning an aerial battle with Chambers. The raw Arsenal right-back wanted a foul, but he should have been stronger.

The ball rebounded off Chambers for Chris O'Grady to score the second goal of his fluctuating Albion career with a swivelling right-foot drive.

Suddenly it was game on until nine minutes later, the Seagulls spurned several opportunities to clear a threat.

Rosicky danced onto a misplaced pass from Danny Holla, fed Olivier Giroud and rifled in the Frenchman's cross on the volley.

That, you thought, was that, especially with Wenger introducing from the bench the imperious Alexis Sanchez and the high-potential of Chuba Akpom.

Again Albion showed the resilience, spirit and skill synonomous so far with Hughton's five-game reign. Holla, making partial amends for his role in Arsenal's third, threaded a short pass through for Baldock to clip his second goal in as many games over the advancing Wojciech Szczesny.

It was not quie enough as Albion paid the price for paying the FA Cup holders too much respect for half a game.

Hughton said: "We were very good and very spirited in the second half, but we started the game too slow and you can't do that against the quality Arsenal have.

"You can't afford to give them that time and space. The first goal was a reflection of the type of quality they've got, half a chance and he (Walcott) puts it away.

"Even in a poor start, if we had kept the ball better we would have given ourselves a little bit more of a chance. But when you are giving the ball away readily to a quick and strong Arsenal team you are asking for trouble.

"We needed to get closer to them in that second half and make sure we were maybe a little more physical and stretch the game a bit, and I think we were able to do that.

"The thing that has pleased me most is how we finished the game. We knew it would be tough to win, but we ran them close. I would have preferred a replay, or a win, but our first half performance didn't allow us that."