Four goals in 31 minutes, a red card on 40, and Aston Villa still had 45 more to play
Villa turned up at the Amex without a recognised centre forward and left with none of it working: an own goal, two Hinshelwood headers 80 seconds apart, Joao Gomes sent off and not one shot on target.
Villa actually started the better side. Emi Buendia created three chances inside the opening ten minutes. Then Pau Torres gave the ball away, Maxim De Cuyper squeezed a shot in off the post and Victor Lindelof, and the afternoon fell apart in a way opening days rarely do.
De Cuyper scored the second himself on 18, turning in Georginio Rutter's cross. Jack Hinshelwood headed the third on 30 and the fourth on 31 — eighty seconds between them.
No striker, and then no Joao Gomes
Unai Emery named no recognised centre forward. Ollie Watkins was left out of the squad altogether with Al Hilal interested in him, and a Villa side already short of a focal point lost its shape entirely once the goals started.
On 40 minutes Joao Gomes kicked out at Rutter and was sent off after a VAR review, which is roughly the summary of the half: 4-0 down, ten men, and no shot on target to point at.
Brighton did not add to it after the break, which flatters nobody. "Clean sheet," said Fabian Hurzeler. "The first minutes we struggled a little bit. But then more and more we got the control." John McGinn was blunter: "The goals we conceded were poor, there's no getting away from that."
Match facts
- 8' — Victor Lindelof (own goal), from Maxim De Cuyper's shot off the post
- 18' — Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton), assisted by Georginio Rutter
- 30' — Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton), header
- 31' — Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton), header
- 40' — Joao Gomes (Aston Villa) sent off after a VAR review
- Aston Villa finished with zero shots on target
| Stat | Brighton | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 73.1% | 26.9% |
| Total shots | 21 | 6 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 0 |
| Passes completed | 647 attempted (92.9%) | 242 attempted (76.4%) |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.67 | 0.31 |
| Corners | 5 | 2 |
| Fouls conceded | 12 | 11 |
| Offsides | 6 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
What's next
Brighton go to Chelsea on Sunday 30 August, three days after a Conference League play-off — a fixture the league moved for exactly that reason. Aston Villa host Arsenal on Monday 31 August, without Joao Gomes and, on this evidence, in need of a striker before then.
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