Brighton & Hove Albion ne se contente pas de marquer à un rythme qui laisse ses rivaux de Premier League loin derrière — ils le font avec un brio qui fait s'arrêter et regarder les amateurs de football à travers le pays.
Une démolition 5-0 de Crystal Palace dimanche a souligné à la fois la qualité et l'ambition qui traversent l'équipe de Fabian Hurzeler, et a produit un moment qui pourrait définir toute la saison — pas seulement pour Brighton, mais pour l'ensemble du championnat.
Le but qui a stoppé tout le monde
Dès la septième minute à l'Amex, le milieu paraguayen Diego Gomez a récupéré le ballon près de la ligne médiane, a repéré le gardien de Crystal Palace Walter Benitez très avancé hors de ses cages, et a tenté une frappe audacieuse de 51 mètres qui s'est glissée juste sous la barre transversale.
Benitez a sprinté désespérément et plongé, mais le ballon lui avait déjà échappé. Le stade a explosé.
C'est le but longue distance le plus éloigné en Premier League depuis que Wayne Rooney avait frappé de 58 mètres pour Everton lors d'une victoire 4-0 contre West Ham en novembre 2017 — une comparaison qui donne une idée de la rareté et de la remarquabilité du geste de Gomez.
L'ancien gardien de Newcastle Shay Given, intervenant en tant que consultant sur Match of the Day, a établi un parallèle saisissant : "C'est réminiscent de David Beckham [pour Manchester United contre Wimbledon en 1996]." Given a ajouté qu'il ne blâmait pas Benitez, notant que la position du gardien était justifiable dans le contexte du football moderne avec une défense haute.
Former Premier League striker Efan Ekoku, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, was equally effusive: "That's the goal of the season so far — superbly struck and right over the head of the keeper from the centre-circle."
Gomez himself was disarming in his post-match honesty. "When I scored, I didn't know where to run, or what to do," the 23-year-old admitted. "When I got the ball, I knew the goalkeeper was a little bit ahead. I was very happy with the goal."
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk, who held the club's own goal-of-the-season award after his 35-yard stunner against Coventry won the Premier League goal of the month for September, was quick to concede defeat with a smile: "That's the goal of the season so far. He's taken the club goal of the season off me."
Goals, goals, and more goals
Brighton's 23 top-flight goals from seven matches put them four clear of league leaders Manchester City and more than double the 11 scored by reigning champions Arsenal. In the entire Premier League era since 1992, only three clubs have outscored them across the opening seven games of a season — Arsenal in 2009-10 with 24, Manchester United in 2011-12 with 24, and Manchester City in 2019-20 with 27.
Cast the net wider across Europe's top five leagues, and only Barcelona — who have plundered 39 goals from nine La Liga matches — have found the net more frequently in domestic competition this season.
Ten different players have contributed to Brighton's tally, and their results read like a highlights reel: 4-0 against Aston Villa, 5-0 at Coventry, 3-0 against Arsenal, 2-0 at Sunderland with ten men, 5-0 against Crystal Palace. They also fought back from 2-0 down to beat Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup, and have put four goals past both Tromso and Kauno Zalgiris in the Conference League.
Hurzeler keeps feet on the ground
Hurzeler — who became the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history when appointed in June 2024 at 31 years of age — is determined not to let the euphoria cloud his judgment. When asked about a potential title race, his response was measured: "We have to stay very humble. The season will be long. We can't be satisfied. We have to keep pushing, stay humble and understand why we are successful at the moment to keep pushing at that level."
He applied the same logic to Gomez's extraordinary goal, refusing to let it become a distraction. "It's not simple to score a goal like this," Hurzeler acknowledged, "but to me the most important thing is the things we can improve — small easy passes we missed. We don't train shots from 50 metres. Overall, we know he has a really good finish."
A daunting road ahead
Brighton's next five matches are all away from home — a run that includes league trips to Liverpool and Manchester City, a Carabao Cup last-16 visit to Etihad Stadium, and Conference League fixtures against Jablonec in Czech Republic and Getafe in Spain. When the Seagulls finally return to the Amex on 8 November to face Brentford, those results will tell us a great deal about what this season could yet become.
Given offered a historical lens that Brighton's supporters may cherish: "I know it's rare, but you look at Leicester in 2016 and Blackburn in 1995. At the minute, you'd say they could upset the apple cart — but obviously it's a long winter coming up."
