Crystal Palace endured a disastrous afternoon at Brighton on Sunday, suffering a 5-0 defeat that leaves Pierre Sage facing increased scrutiny. The result came only three days after Palace were beaten 3-2 by Sage’s former club Lyon in the Europa League.
The Eagles’ afternoon was effectively over within the opening 10 minutes. Jaydee Canvot turned the ball into his own net in the fourth minute, before Diego Gomez produced a spectacular 51-metre lob three minutes later. Yasin Ayari then added Brighton’s third shortly afterwards.
According to Opta, Brighton became only the latest of 10 teams in Premier League history to score three times inside the opening 10 minutes of a match. Palace offered little threat in response, registering five attempts and only one effort on target.
Brighton, currently second in the league, extended their advantage after the break when Charalampos Kostoulas scored in the 49th minute. Jack Hinshelwood completed the rout in the 84th minute with a goal from a corner.
The defeat was Palace’s fourth in seven Premier League fixtures. Sage’s side dropped to 14th place and could fall as low as 16th by the end of the weekend. The result also adds to questions over the Frenchman’s position, with Sage reportedly fourth in the bookmakers’ Premier League sack race at the start of the week, behind Robert De Zerbi, Alvaro Arbeloa and Michael Carrick.
