Nobody really knew what to expect from Brighton in their Carabao Cup Second Round tie, having played Manchester United just three days ago, and with an away fixture upcoming against Arsenal in only four days.
Fabian Hürzeler named close to a fully changed squad, with the only starter from Saturday's game included in the squad being goalkeeper Jason Steele, who was on the bench.
All the same, it was a strong team that should be beating League One opposition.
From the off, Crawley rattled into tackles, and inside nine minutes debutant Matt O'Riley was forced off with an ankle injury after a horrible challenge from captain Jay Williams.
The Seagulls started off far from their best with sloppy passing and what can only be described as chaotic transitions, but the deadlock was broken in the 31st minute after Simon Adingra tucked home Carlos Baleba's perfect through-ball.
Almost immediately from the second half kick-off, the Albion doubled their lead with a goal from Jeremy Sarmiento following a lovely piece of skill from Julio Enciso.
The Red Devils had chances of their own and Brighton were living on the edge up until the 84th minute when two goals in two minutes from Adam Webster and Mark O'Mahony killed the tie off.
After a fierce encounter at the Amex Stadium, here are the full Brighton player ratings.
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Player Ratings
Bart Verbruggen - 7
Made some crucial saves on his first game back since the Euro 2024 Semi-Final and looked calm and composed on the ball when playing out from the back.
A first clean sheet for Verbruggen this season and a second for Brighton. A rarity for the Seagulls last season.
Tariq Lamptey - 6
Played well in parts considering he was also returning from an injury, but got beaten far too easily at times and did not offer much going forward.
An average performance, but it gives Lamptey a platform to build from and really kick on this season if he stays at the club.
Adam Webster - 8
One of his best performances in recent times, almost faultless. Looked very calm and composed on the ball playing the correct passes, while also looking solid defensively.
Capped off his performance with a headed goal from a corner; another rarity for the Albion last season.
Igor - 6
Another player returning from injury who played well in parts and made some fantastic tackle and interceptions. He also carried the ball up the pitch very well, but played some poor passes which left his side vulnerable at times.
Similarly to Lamptey, it is something to build from.
Imari Samuels - 7
Likely to be many fan's first look at the young left-back and he impressed in all aspects of his game.
Strong defensively, calm on the ball, and good going forward, Samuels could have bagged himself a goal early in the first half after a darting run in behind.
Carlos Baleba - 9
Unsurprisingly, another fantastic game from the Cameroonian midfielder after getting very few chances under Roberto de Zerbi.
Baleba was strong in his tackles - winning most of them - and magnificent on the ball, twisting and turning past the entire Crawley midfield.
The fan favourite also looked accomplished in attack, driving forward with the ball and dragging his team up the pitch to correct chances.
Could have easily been given a 10 rating if he had not held onto the ball for too long during some phases, but it was a performance that should persuade Hürzeler to give him many opportunities this year.
Yasin Ayari - 7
Another season, and another young midfielder continuing to impress.
Brilliant in the air against a tall opposition, relaxed on the ball with a good football IQ to play the right pass and to get into great positions to help his team out, young Swede Ayari will be a pleasant surprise to most supporters this season.
Jeremy Sarmiento - 6
A clever run and a smashed shot into the roof of the net - to make the score 2-0 - was his best moment of the game, but throughout the tie he seemed to be stuck between trying too much and not trying anything.
If his reported move to Burnley is true then his performance makes sense as he would not have wanted to pick up an injury.
Matt O'Riley - N/A
Forced off with an injury within nine minutes, so it is nearly impossible to give O'Riley a rating. Hopefully the injury is not as bad as it initially looked.
Julio Enciso - 7
Again, Enciso was another player who was also returning from an injury, but despite this he looked sharp and created a hatful of opportunities for himself and his teammates.
A sharp turn and a nutmeg created a huge amount of space in behind and he capitalised on it, getting the assist for Sarmiento's goal.
He tried to do too much when he should have played the easy pass, but that will always be the case for a player of his profile and style.
Simon Adingra - 6
This rating may seem harsh, but for a player of Adingra's quality it was a performance that came nowhere near the quality he possesses, and even with the opening goal, it was an average outing for his standards.
A well-timed run and a good finish got him his second goal of the season, but there is plenty more to come from Adingra.
Mark O'Mahony - 8
Held the ball up really well and played the simple passes that are required from a target man. He also made some great runs with the ball and looked fast and powerful with it at his feet.
The young Irishman could also compete physically and that was shown when he knocked the Crawley defender off the ball and burst into the box to slot the ball under the goalkeeper and score his first for the Albion.
Pervis Estupiñán - 6
His first game back for a few months and there was not much for him to do in his 20 minutes. Played a few good crosses and made some bursting overlaps, but did not look very sharp as he easily lost the ball on some occasions.
This was expected, though, with how long he has been unavailable.
The biggest positive for Brighton is that he is back and available.
Cameron Peupion - 7
The Australian had a disappointing loan spell at Cheltenham Town in the 2023/24 season, but in his 20 minutes last night he looked to be a very good winger. A few time he cut inside and drove towards the box, but also did not try to do too much in unnecessary situations.
He also delivered an inch-perfect corner for Webster's goal.
Jensen Weir - N/A
Only played the final ten minutes of the tie, but did not do anything of note to gain a rating.
Odel Offiah - N/A
Similar to Weir, was brought on for the closing stages and did not have a noticeable involvement.
