Reading 2 - Brighton 1: Mackie at the double for the Royals to set up Arsenal semi-final

The 24th-minute opener by Mackie, above, ended his side’s three-game goal drought at the Madejski Stadium and sealed a confidence-boosting victory with his second shortly after Chris O’Grady had brought Brighton level from the penalty spot.

The win moved Steve Clarke’s side 13 points clear of the relegation places but more importantly, helped draw a line under the recent frustrations in front of goal ahead of the club’s bid to reach the last four of the cup for the first time in 90 years.

Clarke had urged his Reading side to maintain their intensity during a testing period that will see his players face four games in 10 days.

Mindful of Saturday’s trip to Watford and – more importantly – the return meeting with Bradford 48 hours later, Clarke opted to rest five of the line-up that started at Valley Parade.

The move certainly appeared to perk up Clarke’s side with the combination of fresh legs and the incentive of claiming a place in the FA Cup line-up.

The Royals should have gone ahead in the eighth minute when Jake Cooper was unlucky to see his close-range effort cleared off the line by Jake Forster-Caskey.

But that proved to be a temporary reprieve for Brighton, who rarely threatened in the first half. And then they contributed to their own downfall.

A poor clearance by keeper David Stockdale led to Mackie picking up the loose ball in the visitors’ half and advancing past two defenders before firing past Stockdale.

Brighton had barely made an impression on the game but were level in the 52nd-minute when O’Grady slotted home after Jake Cooper pushed Emmanuel Ledesma.

But Mackie restored the lead four minutes later with another powerful run and shot.