Crystal Palace Manager Pierre Sage Feels 'Shame' After Brighton Thashing

Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage stated he felt "shame" following the Eagles' 5-0 thrashing by Brighton, a result that marks their worst loss to their rivals since January 1956. The team conceded three goals within the opening 10 minutes of the match.

"It's my fault because I am the coach, I gave the motivation. I prepare the situations. We played so bad it's my fault," Sage said after the game. "It's difficult to summarise because there are a lot of negative points. We started really bad. It's completely not normal to concede three goals in this kind of game after nine minutes."

Sage, who was appointed manager in the summer, acknowledged his responsibility for the team's performance on the pitch and highlighted the extensive work needed to rectify the situation. When questioned about whether he would be given time to improve the team's form, he responded, "I don't know."

His tenure follows a highly successful period for Crystal Palace under his predecessor, Oliver Glasner, during which the club won the FA Cup in 2025 and the Conference League in May. Sage's own background includes guiding Lens to a French Cup win and a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season.

Crystal Palace currently sits 14th in the Premier League with two wins from seven games. The team has conceded 17 goals, the highest number in the top flight.

"I just want to apologise to the fans," Sage added. "We were not at the level we expected, and I'm really sorry for that because I know how important it is for them, but we didn't show today that it's really important for us too."

He described his primary emotion after the match as "shame," emphasizing that the team displayed "our worst face" during the game. Crystal Palace is scheduled to play Besiktas in Turkey on Thursday before returning to Premier League action at home against Newcastle on Sunday.