Brighton Thrashes 10-Man Aston Villa 4-0 in Opener

Brighton & Hove Albion launched their Premier League campaign with a decisive 4-0 win against 10-man Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium on Sunday. The Seagulls opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Maxim de Cuyper's shot led to an own goal by Victor Lindelof.

De Cuyper then doubled the lead in the 18th minute. Jack Hinshelwood scored two goals within two minutes, bringing the score to 4-0 before halftime.

Aston Villa, who finished fourth in the previous season and are the Europa League champions, faced further challenges as Joao Gomes received a red card after a VAR review for kicking out at Georginio Rutter, reducing Villa to 10 men. Despite a goalless second half, Brighton's early dominance secured an emphatic victory, marking a strong start to their season.