Brighton and Hove Albion produced a commanding performance to dismantle Coventry City 5-0 at the CBS Arena on Sunday, moving into the top four of the Premier League and leaving Frank Lampard's side rooted to the foot of the table — still without a goal or a single point.

Charalampos Kostoulas struck in the 35th minute to give the Seagulls the lead they deserved after dominating the opening exchanges, and Malick Yalcouye extended the advantage six minutes into the second half. Taiwo Awoniyi's red card for elbowing Maxin De Cuyper in the 53rd minute ended any hope of a Coventry comeback.

Kostoulas punishes Coventry's ascendancy

The opening 20 minutes were all Brighton — seven shots in that spell alone — yet Coventry grew into the contest and had registered eight of their own when Kostoulas broke the deadlock. The Greek striker's clinical finish was all the more cruel given Lampard's side had been the better team in the moments before it.

The first half produced 21 shots in total, the most of any Premier League match so far this season. Bart Verbruggen was the busier of the two goalkeepers, tipping Jack Rudoni's volley wide and palming Frank Onyeka's fierce strike over the crossbar to preserve a clean sheet.

Second half turns into a rout

Any lingering hope for the home side evaporated moments after the restart. Yalcouye nipped in ahead of a sluggish Aurele Florian Amenda and slotted coolly through the goalkeeper to make it 2-0. When Awoniyi was dismissed for the elbow, the contest was over as a contest.

Pascal Groß converted from the penalty spot in the 70th minute after Bobby Thomas brought down Kostoulas, then Lewis Dunk produced the moment of the afternoon — a thunderbolt from distance that arrowed into the top corner of Carl Rushworth's net in the 83rd minute. Yasin Ayari added a fifth in the 94th minute, curling a composed effort into the corner to complete the rout.

Brighton rise, Coventry suffer

The result lifts Brighton — the Premier League's top scorers — into fourth place. For Coventry, the outlook is bleak. Their supporters were admirably vocal throughout, but Lampard's team remain bottom, having conceded five without reply while still awaiting their first goal in the top flight.