Brighton and Hove Albion thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0 at the Amex Stadium to record their biggest-ever victory over their rivals and move up to second in the Premier League table.
Brighton made a blistering start, scoring three goals inside the opening 10 minutes to leave Palace reeling. Jaydee Canvot’s own goal opened the scoring in the fourth minute before Diego Gómez doubled the lead with a spectacular effort from near the halfway line.
Gómez capitalised on a Palace turnover, spotting goalkeeper Walter Benítez off his line before sending a long-range effort over him and into the net.
Brighton struck again almost immediately, with Yasin Ayari finishing a flowing attacking move after a backheel from Charalampos Kostoulas set him up.
The hosts went into half-time with a commanding 3-0 lead after dominating possession and repeatedly disrupting Palace’s attempts to build from the back.
Brighton continued their dominance after the break, with Kostoulas adding a fourth in the 53rd minute following a VAR review. The goal initially came under scrutiny for a possible handball and offside, but it was allowed to stand.
Palace struggled to respond and missed a major opportunity to reduce the deficit when Jean-Philippe Mateta struck the crossbar from close range after being set up by Eddie Nketiah.
Brighton added a fifth in the 88th minute when Jack Hinshelwood reacted quickest after Benítez saved a header from Luka Vuskovic, finishing from close range to complete the rout.
Fabian Hürzeler’s side controlled the contest throughout, using an aggressive counter-pressing approach to limit Palace’s attacking threat and create repeated opportunities. The visitors’ best late chance came when Jefferson Lerma headed narrowly wide from a corner.
The result extended Brighton’s winning run to six matches and lifted them to second in the standings, at least temporarily, while Palace were left to reflect on a difficult afternoon after conceding three times in the opening 10 minutes.
