Lewis Dunk sends brutally honest message as Crystal Palace fans make feelings clear

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk said they dominated old rivals Crystal Palace from the first minute until the last during the 5-0 victory.

Jaydee Canvot’s own goal set Brighton on course for a fourth successive top-flight win before Yasin Ayari’s deflected finish quickly added to Diego Gomez’s halfway line stunner in a remarkable opening 10 minutes.

Charalampos Kostoulas and Jack Hinshelwood struck in the second half to equal Albion’s biggest win over Palace.

The result also secured Hurzeler his first victory over the Eagles at the fifth attempt, taking his high-flying Seagulls to 16 points from seven games.

Eagles fans had packed the away end and taunted Albion fans about their lack of silverware by waving inflatable Conference League trophies and chanting about their recent FA Cup success.

But they ultimately endured a humiliating afternoon, with many Eagles fans heading back to south London well before the final whistle blew.

Dunk: Intensity and passion

"It was unbelievable,” said Dunk who always receives a fair amount of stick from Palace fans.

“From the first minute to the last we were the better side and we showed what we were about at this moment of time.

“The intensity, the passion and everything we're doing at the moment is in a high place."

Brighton are the highest scorers in the Premier League with 23 goals from seven matches and have 34 goals in all competitions. Only Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Europe's top leagues have scored more.

Brighton have also been tight at the back and only conceded five times in the Premier League this term - four of which came during a 4-3 loss at Chelsea.

Brighton share the goals

Dunk added: "If you look, they're shared around a lot which is a massive help. We've got everyone chipping in and helping out the team.

“If you look at our clean sheets, I think it's the most we've ever had at this part of the season so we're buzzing with that as well."

Eagles manager Pierre Sage apologised to his club’s fans after suffering a fourth defeat in seven league games since his summer appointment.

Palace substitutes Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jefferson Lerma were each denied by the goal frame at 4-0 down on a humiliating afternoon for the visitors.

“It’s difficult to summarise because there are a lot of negative points,” Sage said.

Sage: We started badly

“We started really bad. It’s completely not normal to concede three goals in this kind of game after nine minutes.

“I prepare the team that is why I am responsible of what’s happened on the pitch. I have a lot of work to do because I have to change this kind of thing.

“I just want to apologise to the fans. We were not at the level we expected, and I’m really sorry for that because I know how important it is for them, but we didn’t show today that it’s really important for us too.

“I think we didn’t understand which context this game was played.”