Pierre Sage feels 'shame' after Brighton thrash Crystal Palace 5-0 and admits his future is uncertain

Pierre Sage did not hide his frustration after Brighton demolished Crystal Palace in the south coast derby. The French manager used the word “shame” to describe the 5-0 defeat, which saw his side concede three times in the opening ten minutes. The result marked Palace's heaviest loss to their bitter rivals since January 1956 and has left Sage's position in serious doubt.

• Crystal Palace were thrashed 5-0 at Brighton, their worst derby result since 1956.
• Pierre Sage admitted feeling “shame” and took full responsibility for the display.
• Palace conceded three goals inside the opening nine minutes.
• The French coach said he does not know if he will be given time to fix things.
• The club sit 14th in the Premier League with a league-worst 17 goals conceded.

Pierre Sage's apology after Crystal Palace's humiliation at Brighton

Sage's press conference was brutally self-critical. The Palace boss refused to blame the pitch or refereeing decisions and pointed squarely at his own work as the root of the problem. “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,” admitted the Frenchman, who only joined the south London club in the summer after leaving Lens.

Only one feeling: shame. When you play this kind of game you have to show another face. It was our worst face.

His assessment went beyond the emotional. For Sage, the start alone was unacceptable in a fixture with so much at stake. “We started really bad. It's completely not normal to concede three goals in this kind of game after nine minutes,” he said. The manager stressed that preparing the team is his responsibility and that he has “a lot of work to do” to change that dynamic.

A nightmare start that settled the derby within ten minutes

Brighton left no room for surprises. Before the clock reached the ten-minute mark, Palace were already three goals down and the contest was effectively over. That defensive frailty was no isolated accident: Sage's side have now conceded 17 times in just seven Premier League matches, the worst record in the division.

The final scoreline underlined the hosts' superiority and deepened a worrying run for the visitors. With two wins from seven league games, Crystal Palace sit 14th and need a quick reaction to avoid being dragged towards the relegation battle.

The shadow of Oliver Glasner and the contrast with last season

Sage's start contrasts sharply with the club's recent success. Under his predecessor, Oliver Glasner, Palace enjoyed the most successful period in their history: they lifted the FA Cup for the first time in 2025 and then won the Conference League in May. Those trophies raised expectations at Selhurst Park, where patience is beginning to run out.

Sage arrived with strong credentials after leading Lens to the French Cup and a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. His record in England, however, makes for grim reading: four wins, one draw and five defeats in his ten matches in charge.

Sage's message to Crystal Palace supporters

The coach also spoke directly to the fans who made the short trip to Brighton. “I just want to apologise to the fans. 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 said.

When asked whether he will get time to turn the situation around, he did not want to speculate. “I don't know,” he replied bluntly. Palace's hierarchy must now decide whether to back a project that is barely underway or act in response to the defensive collapse and poor results.

Besiktas and Newcastle next as Crystal Palace face a crucial week

The fixture list offers no respite for the London side. On Thursday they travel to Turkey to face Besiktas in the Europa League, where they have one win and one defeat from two matches. On Sunday they host Newcastle at Selhurst Park, needing to stop the flow of goals and rediscover winning form in the Premier League.