Brighton 4-0 Aston Villa: Seagulls Run Riot in Premier League Opener

Brighton’s emphatic rampage began in the eighth minute after Maxime De Cuyper managed to turn the ball onto the post before the midriff of Victor Lindelof tapped it into his own goal.

De Cuyper then managed to grab his own goal after Georginio Rutter played a wicked ball across the box for him to tap in on 18 minutes.

The party did not end there for Brighton as, shortly after, midfielder Jack Hinshelwood bagged a brace in two minutes to take the game beyond the reach of Aston Villa.

Following a mistake for Brighton’s fourth goal, Joao Gomes was then sent off on 40 minutes after a VAR review judged him to have kicked out at Rutter.

As anticipation rose all over the country this weekend for the return of the Premier League, Amex Stadium lay waiting for a clash between Brighton and recently crowned Europa League champions Aston Villa.

Emery’s side took on a rather different identity to the one that started the European final, but despite the high-profile absences/sales, it was the Villans who squandered the first chance of the game. An impressive high press saw Emiliano Buendia with a clear shot at goal, but the Argentine could only manage to roll his attempt wide of the post.

It was not long, though, before the Birmingham side seemingly imploded.

Torres’ poor pass across his own box was very well intercepted by De Cuyper, who managed to swivel around Marco Bizot and shoot at goal. As the ball rebounded off the frame of the goal, onto Lindelof and into the empty net, it appeared clear that fortune was not on Villa’s side.

Things would only go from bad to worse for the visitors, though, as ten minutes later, a long ball over the top put Rutter through down the left and one-v-one with his man. The Frenchman did brilliantly to make it to the byline and fizz a low ball over to De Cuyper to double Brighton’s lead.

Still Brighton came again.

As the encounter hit the half-hour mark, a deep cross was headed back towards the far post by Diego Gomez, which was then promptly met by the rising head of Hinshelwood.

With a three-goal lead, the Seagulls’ confidence was sky-high, triggering another press straight from the kick-off of the latest goal. Gomes, making his Premier League debut for Aston Villa, was caught on the ball in his own box, and Hinshelwood popped up again to score his second goal in two minutes.

But the woes did not end there for Villa as, ten minutes after that mistake, Gomes was caught kicking out at Rutter by VAR, leading to his early dismissal from the field and capping a truly awful club debut.

Fabian Huerzeler received plenty of criticism last season, with much of that coming from Brighton fans. However, there is no doubt that if he can get his side playing to such a ruthless level week in, week out, his name will be sung around the Amex for the remainder of the season.

A five-star performance, four well-received goals, three fantastic points, two goals for Jack Hinshelwood, and only one Premier League game played… Not a bad start for the Seagulls!