A big European occasion for Brighton was ruined by a clinically ruthless Roma who dispatched four to take cruise control in this Europa League tie.
Two goals at either side of half time were enough to punish the Seagulls who were once again disappointingly flaky in defence.
Paulo Dybala calmly slotted home the first goal before Romelu Lukaku pounced on a mistake from captain Lewis Dunk before half time.
Despite chances arriving for the visitors, Roma emphatically scored twice in four minutes through Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante midway through the second half to sink a solemn away crowd.
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Story of the Match
The iconic footballing cathedral of the Stadio Olimpico was the venue for a mouth-watering Europa League first-leg fixture for Brighton in particular, for whom games of this magnitude do not come around often.
Brighton coach Roberto de Zerbi returned to his home country for a game which is a signifier of the remarkable progress which has been made since joining the Seagulls in 2022.
Ex-Roma player Danielle De Rossi has been behind a total transformation since the sacking of Jose Mourinho, with the hometown legend transitioning the side into an offensive powerhouse in Italy.
The energetic roars of the Stadio Olimpico serenaded both sets of players onto the pitch and the game began in a fashion which reflected the atmosphere.
Romelu Lukaku had the first notable chance of the evening in the opening five minutes which saw a powerful close-range header palmed away from Jason Steele.
The hosts were blatantly the more comfortable side in the early exchanges, but Brighton managed to hit the post after the ball deflected off centre-back Evan Ndicka.
An early goal looked likely with the confidence of Roma on the ball and the frailties of de Zerbi’s defence this season.
That goal arrived in the 12th minute after an intelligent Paulo Dybala run and was spotted by Leandro Paredes. The Argentinian attacker was clean through as he took it around Jason Steele and slotted home to give Roma a one-goal advantage.
The goal was initially called offside, but replays show that Tariq Lamptey was playing Dybala onside which led to an eruption of noise from the home fans when VAR overturned the offside.
Brighton attempted to make inroads
The visitors failed to gain a foothold in the game and looked vulnerable to conceding a second, with ball retention particularly a struggle.
However, encouragement grew after a Danny Welbeck header came close to beating Mile Svilar in the Roma goal, and Brighton gained confidence.
It was the home side who doubled their league after Brighton captain Lewis Dunk saw a calamitous touch pounced on by a confident Romelu Lukaku who dispatched low and powerfully to double Roma’s lead just before half-time.
Despite not finishing the first half in a good fashion, Brighton attempted to change the momentum of the game with de Zerbi making a change at the break, introducing Ansu Fati to reduce the arrears.
Chances just kept going amiss for the visitors and they were not arriving regularly. The periods of domination were met with an intimidating counterattack on each occasion from the home team.
Brighton switched off yet again in the 64th minute when Stephan El Shaarawy delivered a great cross which Gianluca Mancini outstretched to volley in from close range to remove any doubt of the dominant team on the night.
That led to a capitulation from the Seagulls as Bryan Cristante added a fourth with a guided header into the corner just four minutes later, with El Shaarawy assisting again from the by-line on this occasion.
Brighton made attempts to reward the visiting fans with a goal but were simply lacklustre in terms of attacking clinically and woeful at remaining defensively resolute.
The Amex will be a chance to redeem the deficit as they attempt to make a European comeback for the ages for Brighton, but an uphill battle is a great understatement.
Player of the Match - Paulo Dybala
A clever creator and finisher, Dybala opened the floodgates tonight and displayed a strong level of European pedigree and experience in a game where Brighton could have dominated.
The first goal was calmly taken after an impressively intelligent run. His ball retention and decision-making were vital to keeping the dangerous Seagulls at arms-length as Roma looked to compete for the trophy.