Brighton & Hove Albion booked their spot in the third round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Crawley Town at the Amex Stadium, but the match was marred by the early injury to new signing Matt O’Riley.
O’Riley, who joined Brighton from Celtic, was forced to leave the pitch less than ten minutes into his debut due to a crunching tackle from Crawley’s Jay Williams that went unpunished. The midfielder will undergo a scan on Wednesday to assess the damage.
Despite the setback, Brighton quickly regained control of the match. Scott Lindsey’s Crawley side competed well in the first half, but they fell behind when Simon Adingra’s 31st-minute goal, set up by Carlos Baleba, found the net after a deflected attempt.
Brighton doubled their lead shortly after the second half began, with Jeremy Sarmiento scoring following a swift counter-attack, making it 2-0. The Seagulls continued to threaten, with opportunities for both Adingra and Julio Enciso, but it was Crawley who were persistent, with Ronan Darcy’s effort narrowly missing.
However, Brighton soon found their rhythm, and captain Adam Webster headed in a third goal before Mark O’Mahony sealed the win with a strike from 12 yards out just minutes from the final whistle.
The match concluded controversially when Crawley substitute Jack Roles received a straight red card for a foul on Yasin Ayari.
Hurzeler’s Reaction
After the match, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler criticized the foul that led to O’Riley’s injury: “It was a ridiculous foul that has nothing to do with football. It changed the game emotionally, and I hope O’Riley’s injury isn’t too bad.”
Lindsey’s Apology
Crawley manager Scott Lindsey acknowledged the aggressive nature of the challenge: “Maybe we were a bit aggressive. I would like to apologize; I wouldn’t want anyone to be hurt. We wish Brighton all the best in the next round.”
Credit: Sky Sports
