Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage is facing mounting pressure over his position at the club following a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

Despite the heavy loss, the club have indicated there are no immediate plans to relieve Sage of his duties. However, the 47-year-old was unable to give assurances after the match that he still had the full backing of the board.

Palace sit 14th in the Premier League table, having collected just seven points from their opening seven games. The defeat to their rivals compounds what has been a difficult start to a demanding season — one that includes a first UEFA Europa League campaign for the club.

Transitionary pressures

Sage, formerly manager of Lyon and Lens, was appointed in the summer after Oliver Glasner's departure. Chairman Steve Parish has previously acknowledged the club is on "high alert" during this transitionary period, which has also seen a number of new players arrive at Selhurst Park.

Sage has won four of his 10 matches in charge across all competitions since taking the role, but Sunday's result underlined the scale of the challenge ahead of him.

Sage apologises to supporters

When asked after the Brighton defeat whether he expected to be given time to turn things around, Sage was candid about his uncertainty.

"I don't know. I just want to apologise to the fans because it's not normal to show this face for this club against this other club, and we are not at the level we expected," he said.

"I am really sorry for that because I know how important it is for them. We didn't show that today it was really important for us too. We didn't understand in which context this game was played."

The apology underscores the depth of frustration at the club, with Palace's fanbase expecting far more — particularly in a derby fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion.