Diego Gómez scored from the halfway line, and Brighton were 3-0 up on Crystal Palace inside ten minutes
Brighton won the M23 derby 5-0 at the Amex to reach 16 points from seven games, and Pierre Sage took the blame for Palace’s start.
Oct 19, 2026
Crystal Palace came to the Amex on Sunday looking for a third straight win there. They were three goals down before the tenth minute was out, and Brighton finished the M23 derby 5-0 winners.
The first went in after four minutes. Pascal Gross crossed towards the near post and Jaydee Canvot headed it past his own goalkeeper, Walter Benítez. Three minutes later Diego Gómez spotted Benítez off his line and shot from the halfway line, about 51 metres out. It dropped in.
Yasin Ayari made it three on ten minutes. Gómez and Charalampos Kostoulas opened up the Palace defence down the right, and Ayari’s first-time shot from close range took a deflection off Canvot on its way in.
No way back for Palace
Kostoulas got the fourth early in the second half, and it survived a VAR check for handball. Jean-Philippe Mateta came off the bench for his first minutes in two months and hit the crossbar soon after, which was as close as Palace came. Late on, Benítez saved a header from a corner and substitute Jack Hinshelwood scored the rebound from close range.
It was Palace’s first away league defeat since the opening game of the season. They are 14th on seven points, with Beşiktaş in the Europa League on Thursday and Newcastle at Selhurst Park next Sunday.
“It’s terrible”
Pierre Sage did not look for excuses. He called it “completely not normal” to be three down in nine minutes and took the blame himself: the preparation and motivation are his job, and so is fixing the way Palace start games. Adam Wharton was blunter. “It’s terrible. The fans deserve better,” the midfielder said, adding that Palace had been too slow and lost the second balls and the duels.
Hurzeler gets his derby
Fabian Hurzeler had some history to put right. He was booed off after a 1-0 home defeat by Palace last season and had promised to keep pushing for another chance at them. “I’m part of this journey and club and therefore you understand the history of the rivalry,” he said on Sunday.
Gómez’s goal got the best line of the afternoon. “He’s got a hammer-foot,” Lewis Dunk said, adding that once the ball left his boot he knew it was in. Hurzeler also told his players to stay humble. Sixteen points from seven games will make that a hard sell.