Brighton thrashed Aston Villa 4-0 at the Amex Stadium, with Jack Hinshelwood scoring twice in a dominant first-half display that left Villa manager Unai Emery facing more pain after a turbulent summer.
Villa were not the only side to lose key players over the summer, but they dealt with their problems far worse than Brighton. While Fabian Hürzeler's side said goodbye to Danny Welbeck, Jan Paul van Hecke and James Milner, Villa sold Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans. The ongoing uncertainty over Ollie Watkins, who is the subject of interest from Al Hilal and was not in the match-day squad, plus injuries to Brian Madjo and Tammy Abraham, left Emery without a recognised centre-forward. Emiliano Martínez is also set to leave, and marquee signing Johan Manzambi is still not fit.
First-half onslaught
Brighton began the season with a statement of intent, combining hard running with ruthless finishing. Hinshelwood led the way, scoring twice, while Maxim De Cuyper scored one and forced another off Villa defender Victor Lindelöf. The four concessions before the interval could have been worse, but Hürzeler's men had done enough.
The symbol of Villa's wretchedness was new signing João Gomes, who was passed fit after an injury concern but was sent off for violent conduct in the 40th minute at 4-0. The debutant aimed a high boot at Brighton striker Georginio Rutter. Gomes was booked on nine minutes for demanding a yellow card for Pascal Gross, and was spared a second caution for a foul on Ayari in the 14th minute. His dismissal, after a video assistant referee review, was a straight red for kicking up and out at Rutter after the Brighton striker had dispossessed him.
Brighton's dream start
Brighton's start was the stuff of dreams, with De Cuyper forcing the own goal out of Lindelöf after a dreadful attempted back pass by Pau Torres for goalkeeper Marco Bizot. The ball came back off the near post and hit the covering Lindelöf to go in. Brighton dominated the duels, winning tackle after tackle, and the fourth goal came when Ayari robbed Gomes on the edge of the Villa area to tee up Hinshelwood for a straightforward finish.
De Cuyper scored for 2-0 after Rutter had sprinted around Torres to cross low, and Brighton's third showcased their slickness when Luka Vuskovic pinged a diagonal out to De Cuyper, who crossed deep where Diego Gómez headed square for Hinshelwood to nod home. Hürzeler named three centre-halves in his lineup but started with Olivier Boscagli at left-back, allowing De Cuyper to play further up the left flank.
Emery's retreat
When it was all over, with Brighton celebrations exploding around the Amex, Emery beat a hasty retreat with no handshake for Hürzeler. He did not make any changes until the 74th minute. Brighton substitute Costinha hit the post with his first touch, and Charalampos Kostoulas put the rebound into the net only to be flagged offside. Ibrahim Osman might have had a penalty after a John McGinn body check. Villa's one piece of luck was that Brighton did not turn the screw in the second half.
