Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Gómez scores from 51 metres as Brighton rout Crystal Palace 5–0
Brighton scored three times inside the opening 10 minutes before completing a five-goal derby win; the seventh-minute strike was the league’s longest-range goal since 2017.
Brighton beat Crystal Palace 5–0 on October 18 after scoring three times inside the opening 10 minutes. Diego Gómez supplied the defining moment with a 51-metre strike from near the halfway line in the seventh minute.
Charalampos Kostoulas and Jack Hinshelwood added second-half goals after a Maxence Lacroix own goal and Yasin Ayari’s early finish. The result left Brighton third with 16 points and 23 goals from seven league matches.
Three goals inside 10 minutes
Brighton led after four minutes when Ferdi Kadioglu’s low delivery was turned into the Crystal Palace net by Maxence Lacroix. Gómez doubled the lead in the seventh minute, and Ayari made it 3–0 in the 10th.
The sequence meant Palace were three down before the match had settled. Brighton’s official report and Reuters agree on the order of the goals and the 3–0 halftime score.
Why the 51-metre goal stood out
Gómez controlled the ball near the centre circle, saw Walter Benítez away from his goal and lifted his shot over the goalkeeper. Reuters measured the attempt at 51 metres.
Reuters reported that it was the longest-range Premier League goal since Wayne Rooney scored from 58 metres in November 2017. The comparison describes the measured distance, not a judgment about overall performance.
Brighton added two after halftime
Kostoulas scored in the 49th minute after Georginio Rutter created the opening, extending the lead to four. Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta later struck the crossbar as the visitors tried to respond.
Hinshelwood completed the scoring in the 84th minute. The two second-half goals turned an exceptional opening spell into Brighton’s largest win of the young league season.
What the result established
Brighton finished the match in third place on 16 points, five behind leaders Manchester City. The team also reached a league-high 23 goals after seven matches.
Those standings and scoring totals describe the position after the completed derby. They do not guarantee that Brighton will keep the same place or scoring pace as the season continues.
