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Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez had only scored twice for Brighton before Tuesday night At a glance Diego Gomez scores four Brighton goals in sensational solo display Paraguayan midfielder nets 24-minute hat-trick - including two superb long-range drives, before a composed second-half finish Harry Howell and Yasin Ayari complete rout late on Minute's applause held in memory of iconic Barnsley-born cricket umpire Dickie Bird, who has died aged 92 PLAYER RATER Diego Gomez scored four goals – including an astonishing first-half hat-trick – as Brighton reached the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a thumping victory over League One Barnsley. Paraguayan midfielder Gomez stole the show at Oakwell before half-time, giving the Seagulls an early lead with a close-range finish before completing a 24-minute treble with two remarkable long-range drives. Gomez, who joined the club from Inter Miami last January, doubled his and Brighton's tally with a magnificent, rising shot from the corner of the penalty area – but his third was the pick of the bunch. Jake Rooney's headed clearance fell kindly for the 22-year-old, who smashed a swerving, first-time shot past Murphy Cooper from well over 30 yards to all but end the game as a contest. Davis Keillor-Dunn almost caught Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele off his line in the second half – his looping effort from a full 40 yards out clipping the top of the crossbar – before Jonathan Bland was denied by the frame of the goal. But Gomez steered home a composed finish for his and Brighton's fourth of the night, before 17-year-old Harry Howell curled in his first senior goal for the Seagulls. Second-half substitute Yasin Ayari completed the scoring two minutes later as Brighton claimed their second successive 6-0 win in the competition, after beating Oxford by the same scoreline in the previous round. Reflecting on Gomez's remarkable display, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said: "We knew before that he has an unbelievable shot, but today he proved it on the pitch. "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. " Hurzeler's side will discover their fourth-round opponents when the draw takes place following Arsenal's trip to Port Vale on Wednesday evening. Before kick-off, a minute's applause was held in memory of iconic Barnsley-born cricket umpire Dickie Bird, who has died aged 92. Not for the first time in this season's EFL Cup, Brighton made light work of lower-league opposition to progress to the next round – but this was very much Gomez's night. The Paraguayan – one of eight changes from Saturday's 2-2 draw at home to Tottenham – has started only one of the Seagulls' five league games so far this term, but he grasped his opportunity with both hands at Oakwell. Gomez's first and fourth efforts were smart finishes, while his second was a strike of the highest order as he lashed Tom Watson's pass beyond Cooper. However, you will struggle to see a better goal in this season's competition than his astonishing third, which left Cooper grasping at thin air as the ball sailed over the goalkeeper's head and into the net. "He is a big talent, " Hurzeler added. "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 with [Gomez] now before the game. " Described as "special" by the German when he arrived from the MLS in January, Gomez is certainly developing a reputation for the spectacular. Against Tottenham on the final day of last season, he opened his account for the Seagulls with a spectacular curling drive as Hurzeler's team ran out 4-1 winners. He was also on target at Oxford in the last round, poking in Brighton's third from close range. After his four-goal masterclass in Yorkshire, Hurzeler will be hard-pushed to leave Gomez out of his starting XI when his team travel to Chelsea this weekend. Barnsley: Conor Hourihane's team welcome Port Vale to Oakwell in League One on Saturday before travelling to Notts County in the EFL Trophy three days later. Brighton: The Seagulls head to Stamford Bridge this weekend before facing Wolves at Molineux a week on Sunday. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Manager: Conor Hourihane Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Fabian Hürzeler Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Conor Hourihane Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Fabian Hürzeler Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 League Cup All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, Barnsley 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 6. Second Half ends, Barnsley 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 6. Fourth official has announced 1 minutes of added time. Goal! Barnsley 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 6. Yasin Ayari (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Diego Coppola. Goal! Barnsley 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 5. Harry Howell (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Tom Watson following a fast break. Corner, Barnsley. Conceded by Harry Howell. Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Tom Watson is caught offside. Attempt saved. Yasin Ayari (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner by Murphy Cooper (Barnsley). Assisted by James Milner. Corner, Brighton and Hove Albion. Conceded by Tennai Watson. Substitution, Barnsley. Tennai Watson replaces Jake Rooney. Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jon Russell (Barnsley). Foul by Charlie Tasker (Brighton and Hove Albion). Reyes Cleary (Barnsley) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Harry Howell replaces Diego Gómez. Attempt missed. Jon Russell (Barnsley) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Adam Phillips with a cross following a corner. Corner, Barnsley. Conceded by Charlie Tasker. Foul by Olivier Boscagli (Brighton and Hove Albion). Neil Farrugia (Barnsley) wins a free kick on the right wing. Attempt blocked. Adam Phillips (Barnsley) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.