Brighton Cruise Past Crawley, But Injury Dampens Debutant's Night

Brighton & Hove Albion comfortably secured their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup with a 4-0 victory over League One side Crawley Town. However, the evening was marred by an early injury to £25 million signing Matt O'Riley, who was forced off his debut in the sixth minute.

The Seagulls dominated proceedings from the outset, despite fielding a completely changed XI from their recent Premier League win against Manchester United. Simon Adingra broke the deadlock shortly before half-time, capitalising on a through ball from Carlos Baleba for his second goal of the season.

The second half saw Brighton further assert their dominance. Jeremy Sarmiento, making his first appearance for the club, fired home a powerful strike in the 48th minute to double their advantage.

Crawley, despite creating a number of chances, failed to capitalise on their openings. In the 84th minute, a late goal from Adam Webster, who headed in from a corner, put the game beyond doubt.

Mark O'Mahony, making his debut for Brighton and featuring for the Republic of Ireland U21 team, added a fourth goal in the 87th minute with a well-taken strike after winning possession high up the pitch.

The game was overshadowed by O'Riley's early exit. The midfielder, who had only completed his move from Celtic 24 hours earlier, sustained a left ankle injury after a heavy challenge from Crawley's Jay Williams, who was met with boos from the home crowd throughout the match.

The incident occurred in the sixth minute, with O'Riley receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch before being helped off by two physios. Williams, who was not initially cautioned for the tackle but was booked for another foul later in the first half, was also substituted at half-time.

Prior to kick-off, Brighton had unveiled Turkish international Ferdi Kadioglu, who signed for the club in a £25 million deal from Fenerbahce. He was introduced to the home crowd and will be hoping to make his debut in the near future.

The victory for Brighton extends their winning start under manager Fabian Hurzeler to three matches. However, the loss of O'Riley to injury will be a concern for the Seagulls, who will be hoping for a speedy recovery for their new signing.