Four goals in the EFL Cup - Brighton's Diego Gómez joins illustrious list

Former Inter Miami star 

There was a bit of history made when Brighton defeated Barnsley 0-6 in the third round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night in front of 7,790 fans at Oakwell Road. Paraguayan national team midfielder Diego Gómez completed his hat-trick against the League One side with an unbelievable strike in the 33rd minute. It was one of those goals that will stick in memory. Indeed, Gomez would score another three goals (9’, 21’& 68’) to complete an incredible performance.

Seven minutes after his fourth, Gómez’s evening was done as manager Fabian Hürzeler took off the midfielder. The night wasn’t quite done, though, for Brighton. Harry Howell, who came on for Gómez, made it 5-0 (87’), and Yasin Ayari (89’) completed the scoreline for the Premier League side.

While the result was fantastic, it was Gómez’s performance and his third goal, in particular, that was the major talking point after the match. "We knew before that he has an unbelievable shot, but today he proved it on the pitch,” Brighton’s German manager said after the match. “We are very happy for him because he always practises. You have to keep working, keep improving, you have to develop your skills, and he does that every day, so I am very pleased for him.”

A haul! Midfielder Gómez writes English football history

Gómez’s haul against Barnsley is a rarity in English football. Only 12 other midfielders have managed to score four goals in either the Premier League, the EFL Cup, or the FA Cup since 2000. As the graphic below illustrates, the former Inter Miami CF midfielder is in good company. The list includes the likes of Cole Palmer, Frank Lampard, who both achieved the feat twice, Kevin De Bruyne, Heung-min Son, Georginio Wijnaldum, Andrey Arshavin, and Júlio Baptista. Either way, the performance should be a big boost for Gómez, who joined the club from Major League Soccer in January but has managed just 915 minutes in 25 games across all competitions for the Seagulls.

Indeed, his manager is convinced that Gómez has the ability to show off his talent on a more regular basis. "He is a big talent," Hürzeler said. "His goals helped us to get into our structure, especially in the second half when we played really good football and created a lot of chances. “Yesterday we had a finishing drill, and they all scored some nice goals. We were joking, we always have to do this now before the game.” Those who have followed Gómez’s career for some time will recall the Paraguayan scoring similar goals for his country and in MLS. The next stage in his development is to show off that skill on a more regular basis for Brighton.