Gomez’s halfway-line strike caps Brighton’s 5-0 derby win

Brighton’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace extended their remarkable start to the Premier League season, with Diego Gomez’s 51-metre strike adding a highlight to a performance that lifted them to third in the table. [1]

Gomez spotted Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez away from his line and scored from near the halfway line in the seventh minute, making it 2-0. It was the 23-year-old Paraguay midfielder’s first league goal since March and his seventh in the Premier League.

At 51 metres, the effort was the longest-range Premier League goal since Wayne Rooney scored from 58 metres for Everton in November 2017. Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given compared it to David Beckham’s famous goal for Manchester United against Wimbledon in 1996, while Brighton captain Lewis Dunk joked that Gomez had taken his claim to the club’s goal of the season.

The result took Brighton to 16 points from seven matches and 23 league goals. Only three teams have scored more in their first seven Premier League games of a season since the competition began in 1992. Barcelona are the only club in Europe’s top five leagues with more domestic league goals this season, having scored 39 in nine matches.

Brighton have scored four or more in wins over Aston Villa, Coventry and Palace, and beaten Arsenal 3-0. They have also progressed in the Carabao Cup and Conference League. But manager Fabian Hurzeler urged his team to stay humble and said there was room to improve, pointing to missed easy passes despite the win.

Their next five matches are away from home, including league trips to Liverpool and Manchester City, before they return to the Amex Stadium to face Brentford on 8 November. The run will test a team whose scoring has made them one of the season’s early attractions.