Brighton thrash ten man Coventry 5-0 as Sky Blues remain pointless and goalless

Brighton inflicted a severe 5-0 defeat on 10-man Coventry, handing the home side their fourth consecutive loss in the Premier League.

Coventry remain the sole team in the division yet to register a single point this season, having failed to score a goal throughout this four-match losing streak.

An entertaining first half saw both teams trade opportunities, producing 21 shots in total — the highest tally recorded in the opening 45 minutes of any Premier League fixture so far this campaign.

However, it was Charalampos Kostoulas who provided the breakthrough, converting his first league goal since January to ensure the away side went into the break with a lead.

Coventry's afternoon went from bad to worse early in the second half. Malick Yalcouye scored Brighton's second within nine minutes of the restart, shortly before Taiwo Awoniyi received a red card for an elbow on Maxim De Cuyper.

The visiting side then flexed their muscles to complete the rout. Pascal Gross converted a penalty for the third, Lewis Dunk hammered home an effort from 25 yards, and Yasin Ayari capped off a five-star performance for the Seagulls with a fifth.

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Brighton and Hove Albion's Yasin Ayari celebrates scoring their fifth goal (Reuters)

From the opening whistle, Brighton displayed an eagerness to shoot on sight. Olivier Boscagli demonstrated their confidence inside the first 15 minutes by attempting a speculative shot from inside his own half, though Carl Rushworth was not required to worry.

Further early opportunities fell to Yalcouye and Kostoulas, but neither managed to work the Coventry goalkeeper.

The hosts tried to show what they had at the top end of the pitch and got their first effort on target when Ephron Mason-Clark scuffed a shot into the hands of Bart Verbruggen, before Jack Rudoni saw a header skim the crossbar.

Coventry grew into the contest, forcing Verbruggen to stop a couple of volleys from both Rudoni and Frank Onyeka.

Just as it looked like Coventry had established a foothold in the game, Brighton broke the deadlock in the 35th minute. Kostoulas latched on to a header from Gross, took a couple of neat touches, and fired a low, hard shot into the bottom left corner.

Brighton doubled their advantage six minutes after the break when Yalcouye beat two defenders before racing through on goal and slotting past Rushworth.

Coventry were forced to play the majority of the second half with a man less after Awoniyi caught De Cuyper with a flailing elbow, which referee Tony Harrington deemed dangerous enough for a direct red card.

Coventry City's Taiwo Awoniyi with manager Frank Lampard as he walks off after being shown a red card (Reuters)

The home side's afternoon deteriorated further when Bobby Thomas brought down Kostoulas inside the area, allowing Gross to slot away the resulting penalty.

Brighton's outstanding day continued to improve as Dunk decided to let fly from 25 yards with a strike that flew into the top left corner.

There was still time for the away side to add a fifth, with Ayari trying his luck from range with a lovely curling effort that once again beat Rushworth.