Brighton produced one of the standout performances of the Premier League season with a 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace, highlighted by Diego Gomez’s stunning goal from just inside the halfway line.
Arsenal, meanwhile, needed a late goal from substitute Noni Madueke to beat Nottingham Forest, while Manchester United ended a turbulent week with a 1-1 draw against fierce rivals Leeds United.
Gomez stuns Palace with halfway-line strike
Brighton midfielder Gomez evoked memories of David Beckham’s famous halfway-line goal for Manchester United 30 years ago when he launched a remarkable shot from just inside Palace’s half.
The ball sailed over stranded Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez and into the net, immediately putting the strike among the contenders for goal of the season.
It was the second of three goals Brighton scored in the opening 10 minutes as they swept to a 5-0 victory at the Amex Stadium.
Yasin Ayari, Charalampos Kostoulas and Jack Hinshelwood also scored, while Palace conceded an own goal.
The victory lifted Brighton to third place and continued an impressive campaign that has already included a 3-0 win over Arsenal.
According to statistics provider Opta, only three teams in Premier League history had scored more than Brighton’s 23 goals after seven matches: Arsenal in 2009-10, Manchester United in 2011-12 and Manchester City in 2019-20.
The defeat piled pressure on Palace manager Pierre Sage, who was already facing scrutiny before his team suffered a heavy loss to their biggest rivals.
Sage apologised to supporters and admitted he did not know whether he would be given enough time to turn things around after Palace managed just two wins in seven matches.
Madueke rescues Arsenal against Forest
Goals have been harder to come by for Arsenal, who have scored 11 in their first seven matches of their title defence.
The defending champions secured a narrow victory over Nottingham Forest through Madueke, who came on at half-time and scored in the 80th minute.
The England winger cut inside before sending in a shot that took a deflection and beat Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
It was Arsenal’s only shot on target throughout the match.
“We showed grit, determination — we showed a champion spirit here tonight,” Madueke said.
The win lifted Arsenal back into second place, three points behind Manchester City in the title race.
City’s position has been overshadowed by a ruling that found the club guilty of major financial breaches. The club faces severe sanctions if it loses its appeal.
Man United held by Leeds as Bournemouth claim first win
Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds at Elland Road, four days after defender Lisandro Martinez made headlines with an outburst following a Champions League defeat.
Martinez started the match but was substituted at half-time, by which point United were leading through Bryan Mbeumo’s 35th-minute strike.
Leeds equalised in the 51st minute through Dominic Calvert-Lewin to deny United a much-needed victory.
United have now won just once in their opening seven league matches, their fewest wins at this stage in 40 years. They have also managed only two victories in 10 matches across all competitions.
Under-pressure manager Michael Carrick nevertheless viewed the point as a foundation for improvement.
“It felt like a bit of a fresh start, if I’m honest, today in where we’re at and accepting it and doing something about it,” Carrick said.
“It definitely shows that the boys are desperate to do well for each other.”
In another early kickoff, Bournemouth secured their first league win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland.
Brazilian striker Evanilson scored once and set up Marcus Tavernier for the other goal. Sunderland played with 10 men from the 17th minute after defender Kevin Danso was sent off.
