Gomez nets 33-minute hat-trick as Brighton thrash Barnsley in Carabao Cup
Paraguayan forward scores four goals in 33 minutes and adds another after halftime as Brighton cruise to a 6-0 win with a rotated lineup.
Brighton produced a stunning Carabao Cup performance as Diego Gomez scored a hat-trick in 33 minutes and added a fourth after halftime in a 6-0 rout of Barnsley. The Paraguay international started on the right side of Brighton’s attack in a heavily rotated lineup.
Gomez opened the scoring in the ninth minute, tapping in from close range after Tom Watson delivered a cross from the left.
Gomez's second arrived in the 21st minute after Watson supplied a cross from the left and Welbeck's involvement helped create space on the edge of the box for Gomez to strike into the top corner.
The third goal was a sensational 40-yard volley that flew into the top corner after a long ball dropped and Gomez sprinted onto the ball from around 40 yards out.
With Brighton 3-0 up at the break, Gomez stretched the lead further when he ran onto a pass from Welbeck and slotted the ball past Barnsley keeper Murphy Cooper.
Two late goals from Harry Howell and Yasin Ayari completed the 6-0 scoreline as Brighton swept aside their League One opponents.
Gomez has started only two league games for Brighton this season, opening the 2-1 win over Manchester City and coming on as a substitute in the 2-0 loss to Everton.
His four-goal haul made him the first player to score four goals away from home in a League Cup match since Julio Baptista for Arsenal against Liverpool at Anfield in 2007.
Brighton will face Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend as they look to build on the Cup performance.