Three early goals put the derby beyond Palace
Brighton & Hove Albion overwhelmed Crystal Palace 5–0 at the Amex Stadium on October 18, with Diego Gómez scoring from around the halfway line in a remarkable opening spell. The hosts led 3–0 after ten minutes and added two more goals after halftime.
A Jaydee Canvot own goal gave Brighton the lead in the fourth minute. Gómez then spotted goalkeeper Walter Benítez away from his line and struck from distance in the seventh, before Yasin Ayari made it three in the tenth minute.
The sequence left Palace attempting to recover from a substantial deficit before the match had settled. Brighton’s early pressure turned the derby into a test of whether the visitors could limit further damage, while the home side continued to create opportunities.
Charalampos Kostoulas extended the advantage shortly after the restart. Substitute Jack Hinshelwood completed the scoring in the 84th minute, giving Brighton five goals from four of their own players in addition to the opening own goal.
The win took Fabian Hürzeler’s side to 16 points from seven league matches, according to Sky Sports. It also provided a markedly different outcome from Brighton’s home defeat in the same fixture the previous season.
Palace coach Pierre Sage accepted responsibility for preparing his team and said changes were needed after the poor start. Brighton’s decisive advantage came from both speed and accuracy in those early attacks; Palace were unable to restore a competitive scoreline once the initial mistakes had been punished.