A dream start at the American Express Community Stadium.

The Seagulls will play Liverpool at home after being drawn against the Premier League giants in the third round of the Carling Cup.  Cheers rang out around the stadium and fans jumped for joy as the draw was announced just before Saturday's game against Peterborough.

The tie against the Merseysiders is likely to be an evening kick-off on September 20 and is expected to be a sell-out.  Paul Samrah, chairman of Falmer For All, said the cup tie was exactly what the new £93 million stadium was built for.  ‘It is a fantastic draw which evokes memories of cup ties against Liverpool in the past.  It will be one of the top of Premier League sides against the top of the Championship, just extraordinary.  We said all the way through the Falmer campaign that once the stadium was built the fans would come to the games.  To get three Premiership sides – Tottenham, Sunderland and Liverpool – here so early is a dream come true.’

Liz Costa, vice-chair of the Albion supporters club, said fans jumped for joy when the draw was announced.  Bring it on. A home draw against Liverpool is exactly what we wanted.  Why shouldn't we have a fantastic game against them in our new home?  It will give us the chance to show them where they will be coming regularly in a few years time.’

Brighton and Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet predicted the tie would be a sell-out.  ‘Those tickets are going to go very quickly so it will be a full house.  That will be brilliant for the players and the club.  All the lads were jumping up and down, especially Nooney and Navs who are from Liverpool.  We have got one of the top sides in the country. It is going to be a very special night here.’