Diego Gomez scored from halfway as Brighton and Hove Albion thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0 at American Express Stadium on Sunday 18 October, lifting Fabian Hurzeler’s side to third in the Premier League on 16 points from seven matches.
Jaydev Canvot’s own goal, Gomez’s 51-metre strike and Yasin Ayari’s finish put Brighton three up inside ten minutes, Charalampos Kostoulas made it four early in the second half, and substitute Jack Hinshelwood completed the scoring late. It was Brighton’s biggest win over Palace since January 1956, and a sixth successive win in all competitions after they put four past Kauno Zalgiris in the Conference League on Thursday.
Three goals before the clock hit ten
Pascal Gross swung a free-kick in from the left and Palace defender Canvot headed into his own net at the near post after four minutes. Two minutes later Olivier Boscagli won the ball from Adam Wharton, and Gomez, spotting Walter Benitez off his line, drove a first-time shot from a yard inside the Palace half over the stranded keeper and under the crossbar.
Opta logged the strike at 51.3 yards, the furthest Premier League goal since Wayne Rooney’s 58-metre effort for Everton against West Ham in November 2017. The Amex was still roaring when Kostoulas fed Ayari across the face of goal and the Swede swept a right-foot shot into the bottom corner from 12 yards. Brighton had scored three times in nine minutes and 30 seconds, the earliest a Premier League side had done so since Newcastle’s 6-1 win over Tottenham in April 2023.
Benitez then held a Kostoulas shot at the second attempt and tipped a Ferdi Kadioglu drive from the edge of the box over the bar as Brighton kept pouring forward.
Kostoulas and Hinshelwood finish the job
Four minutes into the second half Gross crossed from the left for Ayari. The shot was blocked, but Kostoulas reacted first and lifted a left-foot finish past Benitez from close range for 4-0.
Palace introduced Jean-Philippe Mateta, back after nearly two months out with a hamstring injury, and he hit the bar from six yards with only Bart Verbruggen to beat. Jefferson Lerma later headed against the post. Brighton still found a fifth in the 84th minute: Luka Vuskovic met a corner with a header that Benitez parried straight to Hinshelwood, who tapped in from a yard.
Hurzeler told BBC Sport he was “happy for our fans” after “another good performance, another clean sheet”, and called Gomez’s goal “not simple to score”. Palace head coach Pierre Sage said he felt “shame” and apologised to travelling supporters: “We are not Palace today.”
Where the table stands
Brighton sit third on 16 points with a league-high 23 goals scored and only five conceded, behind Manchester City (21) and Arsenal (18). Palace drop to 14th on seven points and now have the worst defensive record in the division, with 17 goals against from seven matches.
Brighton travel to Jablonec in the Conference League on Thursday. Palace face Besiktas in the Europa League the same night. Both return to Premier League action after the midweek European fixtures.
