Brighton & Hove Albion produced a commanding display on Sunday, defeating 10-man Coventry City 5-0 to climb into fourth position in the Premier League.
Charalampos Kostoulas opened the scoring in the 35th minute before Malick Yalcouyé doubled Brighton’s advantage shortly after half-time. Coventry’s hopes of a comeback were then severely damaged when Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi was shown a straight red card for an elbow on Maxim De Cuyper.
Brighton took full advantage of their numerical superiority, with Pascal Groß converting a 70th-minute penalty after Bobby Thomas brought down Kostoulas inside the box.
Captain Lewis Dunk then produced the highlight of the afternoon, curling a spectacular long-range effort into the top corner in the 83rd minute.
Yasin Ayari completed the rout deep into stoppage time with a composed finish to give Brighton their second Premier League victory of the campaign.
The result lifted Brighton to seven points from four matches and fourth place in the table, while Coventry remained bottom without a point.
Coventry’s difficult start has also seen them fail to score in each of their opening four Premier League matches. They have become only the second team in Premier League history to lose their first four games of a season without scoring, matching a record previously set by Crystal Palace in 2017-18.
Despite the heavy defeat, Coventry manager Frank Lampard said his team had competed well during the first half before Brighton’s second goal and Awoniyi’s dismissal changed the contest.
“It’s a difficult scoreline and it’s not easy at home,” Lampard said. “We have to keep working.”
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler, meanwhile, praised his team’s attacking variety but admitted they also benefited from some good fortune.
The Seagulls have now scored
