Diego Gomez scored four goals – including an astonishing first-half hat-trick – as Brighton reached the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a thumping victory over League One Barnsley.
Paraguayan midfielder Gomez stole the show at Oakwell before half-time, giving the Seagulls an early lead with a close-range finish before completing a 24-minute treble with two remarkable long-range drives.
Gomez, who joined the club from Inter Miami last January, doubled his and Brighton’s tally with a magnificent, rising shot from the corner of the penalty area – but his third was the pick of the bunch.
Jake Rooney’s headed clearance fell kindly for the 22-year-old, who smashed a swerving, first-time shot past Murphy Cooper from well over 30 yards to all but end the game as a contest.
Davis Keillor-Dunn almost caught Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele off his line in the second half – his looping effort from a full 40 yards out clipping the top of the crossbar – before Jonathan Bland was denied by the frame of the goal.
But Gomez steered home a composed finish for his and Brighton’s fourth of the night, before 17-year-old Harry Howell curled in his first senior goal for the Seagulls.
Second-half substitute Yasin Ayari completed the scoring two minutes later as Brighton claimed their second successive 6-0 win in the competition, after beating Oxford by the same scoreline in the previous round.
Reflecting on Gomez’s remarkable display, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said: “We knew before that he has an unbelievable shot, but today he proved it on the pitch.
“We are very happy for him because he always practises. You have to keep working, keep improving, you have to develop your skills and he does that every day, so I am very pleased for him.”
Hurzeler’s side will discover their fourth-round opponents when the draw takes place following Arsenal’s trip to Port Vale on Wednesday evening.
Before kick-off, a minute’s applause was held in memory of iconic Barnsley-born cricket umpire Dickie Bird, who has died aged 92.
[BBC]