Gomez's halfway-line stunner headlines Brighton's 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace

Diego Gomez scored one of the Premier League’s most spectacular goals in years as Brighton dismantled Crystal Palace 5-0 at the Amex Stadium, netting three times inside the opening 10 minutes to end any contest before it had barely begun.

The Paraguayan midfielder opened his account for the season in the seventh minute by spotting Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez off his line and driving the ball into the net from 51 metres — fractionally inside opposition territory. The finish drew immediate comparisons to David Beckham’s iconic lob against Wimbledon 30 years ago and stands as the longest-range Premier League goal since Wayne Rooney scored from 58 metres for Everton against West Ham in November 2017.

The damage had already begun before Gomez’s stunner. Pascal Gross delivered an inswinging free-kick from the left in the fourth minute, and Eagles defender Jaydee Canvot nodded into his own net from inside the six-yard box. Yasin Ayari then made it three in the 10th minute, firing into the bottom-left corner via a deflection off the unfortunate Canvot after Charalampos Kostoulas back-heeled the ball into his path.

Kostoulas added a fourth himself before Jack Hinshelwood completed the rout, with Palace substitutes Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jefferson Lerma both denied consolations by the goal frame in a miserable afternoon for Pierre Sage’s side.

The result was Brighton’s first win over Palace in five attempts under head coach Fabian Hurzeler, lifting the Seagulls to 16 points from seven games and cementing their place among the early-season frontrunners. Palace had won on each of their previous two visits to the Amex Stadium, but any hope of a third successive away victory was extinguished within minutes.

The irony was not lost on the home support. Palace fans had packed the away end waving inflatable Conference League trophies — a nod to their triumph in last season’s competition — and arrived singing ‘Champions of Europe’. By the final whistle, they had endured one of the heaviest derby defeats in recent memory, their side outclassed and overwhelmed in soggy Sussex.