Sage apologises after Crystal Palace suffer 5-0 defeat at Brighton

Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage accepted responsibility and apologised to supporters after Brighton beat his side 5-0 on Sunday. BBC Sport reported that Palace conceded three goals inside the opening 10 minutes, suffering their heaviest defeat against their rivals since January 1956. Sage said he did not know whether he would be given time to improve results.

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Appointed in the summer, Sage said the preparation and motivation of the players were his responsibility. He acknowledged that the team had failed to show how much the fixture mattered to supporters. Palace are 14th after seven Premier League matches, with two victories and a league-high 17 goals conceded.

Sage arrived after leading Lens to the French Cup and second place in Ligue 1. Palace now travel to Besiktas on Thursday in the Europa League, where they have recorded one win and one defeat, before hosting Newcastle in the league on Sunday.

For Brighton, Diego Gomez supplied a standout moment with a seventh-minute goal from 51 metres that made the score 2-0. BBC Sport's separate report on Brighton described how the Paraguay midfielder spotted goalkeeper Walter Benitez away from his line and struck from around halfway. Benitez retreated but could not prevent the ball going beneath the bar.

The victory took Brighton to 16 points from seven matches and third place in the table. Their 23 league goals were four more than leaders Manchester City had scored, with 10 different players contributing to that total. Only three teams have scored more in their opening seven matches of a Premier League campaign, according to the BBC.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler resisted suggestions of a title challenge, stressing that his players needed to remain grounded and keep improving. He praised Gomez's awareness while also pointing to passes the team could execute better. Brighton's next five fixtures are all away, including league visits to Liverpool and Manchester City and another trip to City in the Carabao Cup.