Brighton delivered the derby performance their supporters had waited for, thrashing Crystal Palace 5-0 at home and handing Fabian Hürzeler the victory that matters most to the club’s fans. The scoreline was remarkable enough, but the afternoon will be remembered for Diego Gómez’s audacious strike from the halfway line, a goal that put Brighton 2-0 up and immediately entered the conversation for goal of the season.
Palace had already been stunned by Jaydee Canvot’s own goal, the defender heading Pascal Gross’s free-kick past Walter Benítez. Brighton were 3-0 ahead inside 10 minutes. Gómez made it two after Olivier Boscagli found him on the halfway line following Adam Wharton’s cheap loss of possession, and the ball sailed over Benítez and into the net. The strike from 51 metres was the longest in the Premier League since Wayne Rooney scored from 58 metres for Everton against West Ham in November 2017. Yasin Ayari added the third, sweeping home via a deflection off Canvot after a flowing move down the right.
The pattern continued after half-time. Charalampos Kostoulas made it 4-0 four minutes into the second half after the ball deflected into his path following good work from Gross. Palace’s best chances came and went when Jean-Philippe Mateta hit the crossbar with the goal gaping on his return from injury and Eddie Nketiah also passed up a chance for a consolation. Substitute Jack Hinshelwood headed in from a corner late on to complete the rout, matching Brighton’s record 5-0 win over Palace from 1956, when both clubs were in Division Three South.
Pierre Sage’s decision to field teenager Honest Ahanor and 20-year-old Canvot in defence backfired badly. The result will invite uncomfortable comparisons: Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson were both relieved of their jobs not long after losing to Brighton. There have also been suggestions of behind-the-scenes disagreement since Sage took over from Oliver Glasner in the summer, though it remains to be seen whether Palace chair Steve Parish acts on the ‘sacked in the morning’ chants that came from Brighton supporters during the second half. The same chant had been aimed at Hürzeler in February, when Palace won on the south coast.
For Brighton, the contrast is stark. They are the Premier League’s top scorers and had already scored four goals from outside the box this season, a tally that helps explain Hürzeler’s encouragement for his players to shoot from long range. They made eight changes for their Conference League win three days earlier and still looked full of energy, as they had against Arsenal before the international break. Their form has put them in the conversation for Champions League qualification, with a squad that looks capable of handling European football.