Brighton & Hove Albion made a flying start to the new Premier League season with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Europa League champions Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium on Sunday.
The Seagulls took control early in the contest, opening the scoring in the eighth minute when Maxim De Cuyper’s effort struck the post before deflecting into the net off Victor Lindelof for an own goal.
Ten minutes later, the Belgian defender got on the scoresheet himself, finishing from close range after Georginio Rutter’s cut-back to double Brighton’s advantage.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side continued to dominate and extended their lead after the half-hour mark. De Cuyper delivered a cross from the left, Diego Gomez headed it back across goal, and Jack Hinshelwood was on hand to tap home for 3-0.
Hinshelwood struck again just a minute later after Yasin Ayari dispossessed Joao Gomes inside the Villa penalty area, allowing the midfielder to calmly slot home Brighton’s fourth goal.
Aston Villa had threatened early on, with Emiliano Buendia coming close to giving the visitors the lead inside five minutes after winning possession high up the pitch, but his effort drifted narrowly wide.
However, Unai Emery’s side struggled to recover after conceding the opening goal and were completely overrun by an inspired Brighton attack.
Villa’s difficult afternoon worsened before halftime when Joao Gomes, who had already been booked, was sent off following a VAR review after kicking out at Rutter. The midfielder’s red card capped a nightmare debut, with the visitors forced to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Despite tightening up defensively after the break to prevent further damage, Villa were unable to mount a comeback as Brighton comfortably saw out the victory to begin their league campaign in impressive fashion.
