Brighton 5-0 Crystal Palace was the final score at the American Express Stadium on Sunday, with Diego Gómez’s 51-metre wondergoal from just inside the Palace half the standout moment of a derby rout. Three goals inside the opening 10 minutes put Fabian Hürzeler’s side in total control, and late strikes from Charalampos Kostoulas and Jack Hinshelwood completed Brighton’s first win over their bitter rivals under their current head coach.
Brighton had waited a long time for a derby like this. On a rain-soaked afternoon on the Sussex coast, the Seagulls tore into Crystal Palace from the first whistle, scored three times before the 10th minute, and never looked back, ending a run of four matches without a win against their rivals from up the A23.
A Nightmare Start for Palace
The tone was set inside four minutes. Pascal Groß swung in an inswinging free-kick from the left, and Palace defender Jaydee Canvot, caught flat-footed, headed it into his own net from inside the six-yard box. Brighton had the lead without having to do anything special, and the home crowd, relishing a long-awaited opportunity for revenge, roared.
Palace’s travelling support had arrived in confident voice, waving inflatable Conference League trophies and singing “Champions of Europe.” That mood did not last long.
Gómez’s Halfway-Line Wondergoal
Just three minutes later, the Amex witnessed one of the Premier League’s great goals. Palace captain Adam Wharton conceded possession cheaply just inside Brighton’s half, and the ball found its way to Olivier Boscagli, who fed Diego Gómez on the halfway line. The midfielder looked up, saw goalkeeper Walter Benítez stranded off his line, and struck the ball with the sweetest of contacts, sending it sailing over the Palace keeper and into the net.
It was Gómez’s first goal of the season, and a remarkable one. Measured at 51 metres, it was the Premier League’s longest-range goal since Wayne Rooney scored from 58 metres for Everton against West Ham in November 2017, and the comparisons to David Beckham’s famous halfway-line effort against Wimbledon 30 years ago followed almost immediately.
It also fitted a Brighton plan. Hürzeler has urged his players to shoot more from distance this season, and the Seagulls entered the day as the division’s top scorers with efforts from outside the box.
Ayari Makes It Three Inside Ten Minutes
Palace had no time to recover. In the 10th minute, Charalampos Kostoulas back-heeled the ball back from the left, and Yasin Ayari fired into the bottom-left corner via a deflection off Canvot. Three goals, ten minutes, and Palace manager Pierre Sage was left staring in disbelief on the touchline as the rain poured down.
The visitors offered little in response, while Ferdi Kadioğlu and Kostoulas threatened to add to the damage before half-time.
Kostoulas and Hinshelwood Complete the Rout
Any hope of a Palace fightback was extinguished four minutes into the second half. Ayari’s initial effort was blocked, and Kostoulas poked the rebound into the bottom-left corner in the 49th minute to make it 4-0.
Palace did hit the woodwork twice after the interval. Jean-Philippe Mateta, making only his second appearance of the season following a hamstring injury, curled a golden chance against the crossbar in the 63rd minute, and fellow substitute Jefferson Lerma later nodded against the left post from a Wharton corner. By then, many Palace fans were already heading back to south London.
There was still time for one more. In the 84th minute, substitute Jack Hinshelwood poked home from a yard out after Luka Vušković’s header was repelled by Benítez, completing a 5-0 scoreline and sending the home supporters into raptures.
What It Means
The win moves Brighton to 16 points from seven games and is their fourth successive Premier League victory, firmly placing them in the conversation for European qualification. It was also Hürzeler’s first win over Palace at the fifth attempt. Brighton had not beaten their arch-rivals since a 4-1 victory in February 2024 under Roberto De Zerbi, and Hürzeler himself had been serenaded with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” during Palace’s 1-0 win on the south coast in February.
How things have changed. For Sage, whose selection of a young, inexperienced back line was punished from the opening minutes, it was a chastening afternoon. For Brighton and their fans, it was a derby day that will be talked about for years, anchored by a goal that will be replayed for even longer.
