Brighton were three goals up inside ten minutes and never looked back, beating Crystal Palace 5-0 at the Falmer Stadium in gameweek 7 of the Premier League.
Early goals decide it
The opening came on four minutes, when Jaydee Canvot turned the ball into his own net. Three minutes later Diego Gómez made it 2-0, with Olivier Boscagli providing the assist.
Yasin Ayari struck on 10 minutes to make it 3-0, set up by Charalampos Kostoulas. Kostoulas then got his own goal four minutes after the break, in the 49th minute, to extend the lead to 4-0.
Jack Hinshelwood completed the scoring on 84 minutes.
It was a quiet afternoon for the referee's notebook. Pascal Groß (29') and Chema Andrés (64') were booked for Brighton, and Daichi Kamada (51') was the only Palace player cautioned.
What the numbers say
The statistics match the scoreline. Brighton had 17 shots to Palace's five, and nine of them were on target. Palace managed one.
- Shots: Brighton 17, Crystal Palace 5
- Shots on target: Brighton 9, Crystal Palace 1
- Blocked shots: Brighton 4, Crystal Palace 1
- Corners: Brighton 8, Crystal Palace 5
- Possession: Brighton 57%, Crystal Palace 43%
Fouls were close, with Brighton committing 13 and Palace 11. Each side was caught offside twice.
The result ended a run in which Brighton had won none of the previous four meetings between the clubs. Palace had won three of the last six, including a 1-0 victory in February.
What it means in the table
Brighton are second with 16 points from seven games, five wins and a goal difference of +18. Only Manchester City are ahead of them. City have won all seven matches and have 21 points.
Brighton's season numbers are striking at both ends. They average 3.29 goals per game and concede 0.71, and they have kept five clean sheets.
Palace are 14th with seven points from seven games, having won two. Their goal difference is -8. They average 1.29 goals per game, concede 2.43 and have one clean sheet all season.
MFF's match model had predicted a 2-0 Brighton win, giving the hosts a 72% chance. It called the winner but not the margin.
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