BRIGHTON BEAT CRYSTAL PALACE 5-0 WITH GÓMEZ HALFWAY-LINE GOAL

Brighton beat Crystal Palace 5-0 on Sunday after scoring three times in the opening 10 minutes. Jaydee Canvot put the ball into his own net before Diego Gómez scored from the centre circle, sending his shot over Palace goalkeeper Walter Benítez. Yasin Ayari added Brighton’s third goal. Charalampos Kostoulas scored after half-time, and substitute Jack Hinshelwood completed the scoring late on. The result matched Brighton’s record 5-0 win over Palace, set in 1956 in Division Three South.

The victory was Brighton’s first against Palace in five meetings, following a 4-1 win in February 2024 under Roberto De Zerbi. Brighton moved to second in the Premier League table with five wins from their opening seven matches. Gómez joined Brighton from Inter Miami in January 2025 and has recorded one goal and two assists this season. Former goalkeeper Shay Given called his strike “an amazing goal” and said Benítez’s position was reasonable. Efan Ekoku said Adam Wharton lost possession before Gómez shot and called it “the goal of the season so far”.

Pierre Sage apologised to Palace supporters after the match, saying: “I just want to apologise to the fans because it’s not normal to show this face.” Asked whether he would have time to address Palace’s defending, Sage said: “It’s not my decision. I don’t know.” He had selected Honest Ahanor and Canvot in defence for the match. Brighton supporters chanted during the second half that Sage would be sacked in the morning. Fabian Hürzeler said the criticism he received after Palace’s previous win at Brighton had been difficult.