Coventry City’s difficult return to the Premier League continued as Brighton secured an emphatic 5-0 victory at the CBS Arena.
The Sky Blues have now lost their opening four matches without scoring, becoming only the second team in Premier League history to do so after Crystal Palace in 2017-18.
It is also the first time Coventry have begun a league campaign with four consecutive defeats and no goals.
Brighton controlled the early stages, with Charalampos Kostoulas heading wide and finding the side-netting before opening the scoring in the 35th minute.
The teenager produced a superb individual effort, controlling the ball between two defenders before bouncing his shot beyond Carl Rushworth.
The goal was particularly painful for Coventry, who had begun to grow into the contest and created eight first-half chances.
Bart Verbruggen produced excellent saves to deny Jack Rudoni and Frank Onyeka, while Rudoni also struck the side-netting.
Coventry attempted to respond after the break, but their afternoon unravelled during a disastrous two-minute spell.
Malick Yalcouye headed the ball into his own path before racing through and calmly finishing into the bottom corner.
Taiwo Awoniyi was then shown a straight red card after catching Maxim de Cuyper with a flailing elbow, leaving Frank Lampard’s side with an even greater challenge.
Bobby Thomas conceded a penalty when he brought down Kostoulas inside the area, allowing Pascal Gross to convert from the spot in the 70th minute.
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk added a fourth with a powerful 20-yard strike before Yasin Ayari completed the rout deep into stoppage time.
The heavy defeat was harsh on a Coventry side that had shown promise during its narrow 1-0 loss to Manchester City.
The hosts registered a first-half expected-goals total of 1.09 but were once again punished for their wastefulness in front of goal.
Brighton’s clinical display lifted Fabian Hurzeler’s team to fourth in the table, while Coventry remained rooted to the bottom without a point or goal.
Despite the scoreline, large sections of the home support continued singing for Lampard and his players at full-time as they attempted to lift the struggling newly promoted side.
