The intense passion of Michel Kuipers for Albion and the game is one of the goalkeeper’s endearing traits.

Just occasionally, the long-serving Dutchman oversteps the mark and that was the case on a horror night for the Seagulls.

Russell Slade’s side were 2-1 down but still in the game approaching half-time when Kuipers was sent off.

Left exposed by a catastrophic backpass from Adam El-Abd, he upended Lee Novak as the Huddersfield striker attempted to round him.

It was both an obvious penalty and red card but Kuipers, convinced Novak had dived, was incandescent with rage.

He waved his arms furiously at referee Neil Swarbrick and took far too long to leave the pitch. We may not have heard the last of the incident and Kuipers could yet face more than a one-match ban.

Huddersfield have the tools to rip teams apart and Albion were duly pulverised after that, conceding four goals in the second half despite Graeme Smith, Kuipers’ replacement, saving another penalty for the rampant hosts.

Albion gave a debut to 19-year-old former Crystal Palace midfielder Jamie Smith, the last of their ten summer signings.

He came in at the expense of Mark Wright, with El-Abd given his first start of the season at left-back in place of the injured Jake Wright.

Jim McNulty would have been in the 18-man squad but for a twisted ankle sustained in a light training session on the morning of the match.

Unsettled striker Glenn Murray was sidelined from the trip to West Yorkshire by further groin soreness.

Huddersfield were unchanged following their impressive 3-1 home victory against Southampton on Saturday.

Ex-Coventry striker Robbie Simpson, a summer target for the Seagulls, was back on the bench following illness.

Slade opted for a 4-5-1 formation in an attempt to combat the threat posed by Huddersfield down both flanks from Anthony Pilkington and Gary Roberts.

El-Abd had Dean Cox ahead of him down Albion’s left, where Pilkington was a familiar danger to the Seagulls’ strong Stockport contingent from his time with County.

Andrew Whing, switched to left-back in the second half of the previous two games, stayed in his more accustomed right-back role this time, with Kevin McLeod in front of him.

There was no hint of the drama to come as Albion’s game plan had the desired effect to begin with. They enjoyed plenty of possession and the home fans soon became a little frustrated as Huddersfield struggled for cohesion and could not get their wide men involved.

The mood changed when Huddersfield made the breakthrough in the 21st minute, from their first meaningful attack.

Roberts’ cross from the left was temporarily put out of harms way by Adam Virgo with a glancing header. Pilkington was first to the loose ball out on the right and his centre was headed in by Antony Kay.

It was Kay’s second goal in as many games and, annoyingly for Albion, his second in as many seasons against them after an injury-time winner for Tranmere at Trenton Park.

The Seagulls, to their credit, responded with their first goal of the campaign 13 minutes later and a fine one it was too.

Liam Dickinson, prolific in a loan spell with Huddersfield from Derby last season, found the net from an Andrew Crofts header with an angled-right-foot drive which fairly flew over keeper Alex Smithies.

Dickinson’s joy was short-lived. Albion were behind again within a minute, Huddersfield captain Peter Clarke volleying in after a cross from Joe Skarz had been helped on.

The Seagulls were still not without hope at that stage, McLeod forcing Smithies to save at full stretch with a deft shot on the run.

It was merely the prelude, though, to a disastrous sequence of events which left them both a man down and two goals down.

El-Abd left a back-pass horribly short. Novak was clean through as a result and Kuipers brought the striker down.

A red card for the Dutchman was inevitable, although he protested furiously that Novak had dived.

Kuipers was in danger of getting himself into even hotter water with the referee Neil Swarbrick and eventually had to be ushered away by his team mates.

That was not the end of the angst. Graeme Smith was brought on to replace Kuipers at the expense of the unfortunate Jamie Smith and the custodian was immediately booked for delaying the penalty.

Novak then sent him the wrong way from the spot, leaving Albion with not so much a mountain to climb in the second half as a sheer cliff.

The rest of the match was anything but an anti-climax, and Kuipers’ deputy will not forget his debut in a hurry.

Smith, having collected probably one of the quickest yellow cards in the club’s history, promptly saved a second penalty for Huddersfield eight minutes into the restart.

There were no complaints this time when Whing brought down Jordan Rhodes inside the box.

The former Ipswich striker wanted the spot-kick himself to add to the five goals he has already scored this season but Smith dived to his left to deny him.

Smith was helpless in the 64th minute when, with Albion stretched at the back, Huddersfield extended their lead.

Substitute Theo Robinson, a summer target for the Seagulls released Roberts for a convincing finish.

Four became five in the 69th minute, Danny Drinkwater getting in on the act shortly after his introduction.

The on-loan Manchester United midfielder rifled in the rebound after his first shot had been blocked.

Albion were being torn apart by this stage and Robinson raced clear to make it six with 17 minutes still remaining. Robinson completed a magnificent seven for his side in stoppage time, firing into the roof of the net to round off a humbling evening for Albion.

Huddersfield: (4-4-2:) Smithies; Peltier, Butler, P Clarke, Skarz; Pilkington, Kay, (Drinkwater 64), T Clarke, Roberts; Rhodes (Simpson 72) Novak Robinson (58).

Subs not used: Glennon, N Clarke, Williams, Ainsworth.

Scorers: Kay (21), P Clarke (35) Novak (42) penalty, Roberts (64), Drinkwater (69), Robinson (73 and 90) Yellow card Butler (80) foul.

ALBION (4-5-1): Kuipers; Whing, Elphick, Virgo, El Abd; McLeod, J Smith (G Smith 41), Navarro (Thornhill (74), Crofts, Cox; Dickinson (Forster (70).

Subs not used: Tunnicliffe, Dicker, M Wright, Davies.

Scorers: Dickinson (34) Yellow card: G Smith (41) unsporting behaviour, Forster (90) foul.

Red card: Kuipers (39, foul)..

l Former Albion skipper Dean Hammond is on the verge of joining Southampton from Colchester.