BRIGHTON — Brighton and Hove Albion scored three times in the opening 10 minutes and went on to beat Crystal Palace 5-0 at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, a derby rout lit up by a Diego Gomez strike from the halfway line.

The result left Fabian Hurzeler's side with 16 points from their first seven Premier League games. Palace, who have seven points from seven, dropped to 14th, and their manager Pierre Sage apologised to the travelling supporters afterwards.

The win matters beyond local bragging rights. Brighton had failed to beat Palace in four attempts under Hurzeler, and the German was booed off after a 1-0 home defeat to the same opponents in February, according to Sky Sports. Eight months on, his team sit among the division's early pace-setters with the most prolific attack in the country.

Brighton have now scored 23 league goals this season, their highest total at this stage of a campaign in the top four tiers, BBC Sport reported. Only Barcelona, with 39, have scored more across Europe's five major leagues.

The scoring began in the fourth minute. Pascal Gross, 35, delivered a cross that Palace defender Jaydee Canvot turned into his own net at the near post, according to the match report on Crystal Palace's website.

Three minutes later Gomez collected the ball on the halfway line and struck first time over Palace goalkeeper Benitez. ESPN described it as the longest-range goal in the Premier League since 2017.

"We don't train shots from 50 metres," Hurzeler told BBC Sport.

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk told BBC Radio 5 Live that the Paraguayan midfielder "has got a hammer-foot" and that he knew the shot was in as soon as it left him.

Yasin Ayari made it 3-0 in the 10th minute with a shot that deflected in off Canvot. Charalampos Kostoulas added a fourth shortly after the restart, a goal that survived a VAR check for handball, Sky Sports reported. Substitute Jack Hinshelwood completed the scoring from close range in the 84th minute.

Palace's clearest opening came on 63 minutes, when substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta struck the crossbar, according to the club's own report. Benitez had kept the score down before half-time with saves from Kostoulas and Ferdi Kadioglu.

Kostoulas, a teenager, has been directly involved in five Premier League goals this season, three scored and two assisted. Among teenagers in Europe's five biggest leagues, only Lamine Yamal, with 14, has more, BBC Sport said.

Hurzeler was in no mood to talk about a title challenge. "They shouldn't look at the table. They should enjoy the night today without a mobile phone," he said of his players, according to ESPN. "I don't look at the table at the moment."

"Very happy for our fans. They waited long enough for this feeling," he told BBC Sport. "We can't be satisfied. We have to keep pushing, stay humble. The season will be long."

Dunk struck a similar note. "It was unbelievable. From the first minute to the last, we were the better side," he said. Asked about a title race, he said the squad had to focus on Thursday's game.

Brighton's win briefly lifted them to second, above Arsenal, before Mikel Arteta's side won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest later on Sunday through a Noni Madueke goal. Manchester City lead the table on 21 points.

For Palace, the afternoon was a sharp reverse. Sage, appointed on June 15 after Oliver Glasner's contract expired, had seen his team beat Glasner's Forest the previous Sunday for only their second league win of the season, according to ESPN. They then lost 3-2 at Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday.

"I don't know what happened today. I just want to apologise to the fans," Sage said, as quoted by ESPN. "We are not at the level we expected."

Sage told Sky Sports he took responsibility for the team's preparation and motivation and said he needed to change things. Midfielder Adam Wharton called the performance nowhere near good enough and said the supporters deserved better.

Sage made five changes during the match, sending on Dwight McNeil at half-time and Jefferson Lerma, Eddie Nketiah and Mateta before the hour, but the pattern of the game did not shift.

Brighton's earlier results this season include a 3-0 home win over Arsenal, a 3-2 Carabao Cup comeback against Manchester United and two 4-0 victories in the Europa Conference League, according to ESPN.

Both clubs are back in European action on Thursday. Brighton host Czech side Jablonec in the Conference League before travelling to Liverpool next weekend, while Palace face Besiktas in the Europa League and then welcome Newcastle United to Selhurst Park on Sunday, October 25.