Brighton’s blistering start turned the match into a one-sided contest almost before Crystal Palace had settled. Jaydee Canvot’s own goal opened the scoring, Diego Gómez produced a remarkable strike from the halfway line and Yasin Ayari made it three before the visitors had recovered.
Sage’s response was unusually stark. The Palace manager accepted responsibility for the preparation and motivation of his team, while admitting that his players had not shown the fight demanded by a derby.
“Only one feeling - shame. When you play this kind of game you have to show another face. It was our worst face,” he told BBC Sport.
“We cannot accept that especially at the beginning of the game. We didn’t fight at this moment. Once it was 3-0 after nine minutes the game is really different.
“Especially in the way we don’t understand in which context we were. In this kind of game you need different ingredients. It’s my fault because I am the coach, I gave the angle to the players. I gave the motivation. I prepare the situations. We played so bad it’s my fault.”
The speed of Brighton’s opening salvo left Palace with a mountain to climb. Sage did not want to single out individuals immediately after the final whistle, saying he needed to examine the performance before deciding what changes might be necessary.
“I don’t want to speak really individually or thinking about details. I have to analyse what’s happened to take a decision,” he said.
“At this moment once the score is [large difference] it’s easier to play. It’s about bravery. We have to deal with these things from the beginning of the game.”
For Brighton, the result was the product of a team doing the basics well and playing with intensity. Fabian Hürzeler was delighted that supporters had finally been able to enjoy such a convincing derby win, but was careful not to let the scoreline obscure areas for improvement.
“Very happy for our fans. They waited long enough for this feeling. I'm happy for the staff and the whole club. Another good performance, another clean sheet,” he said.
“We played in the flow. To get in the flow you have to do the simple things right. Be intense, win personal duels, second balls, be good at set-pieces.”
Gómez’s long-range goal inevitably dominated the reaction, but Hürzeler said Brighton’s success could not be reduced to one moment of individual brilliance.
“That's not simple to score a goal like this. Everyone speaks about his goal but to me the most important thing is the things we can improve, small easy passes we missed. It's good to celebrate the win but understand there is still space for improvement especially for individual players.”
Hürzeler also highlighted the midfielder’s awareness in spotting the goalkeeper away from his line and acting quickly.
“We don’t train shots from 50 metres. Overall we know he has a really good finish. In these moments it’s about being very precise with his long kick. The perception to recognise the keeper and be quick to go to the action was impressive.”
Palace’s task is now to respond to a defeat that exposed serious problems in their start and competitive intensity. Sage apologised directly to supporters, admitting his team had failed to represent the club properly.
“I’m really sorry because we didn’t give them what they deserved. I apologise because we are not Palace today.”
Brighton, by contrast, left with another clean sheet and a performance that reinforced Hürzeler’s message: enjoy the win, but remain humble and keep improving.