Aston Villa fell to a 4-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the opening game of the Premier League season after a dismal first-half performance which included multiple errors leading directly to goals and a red card for debutant João Gomes.
It was always a strong possibility that the first few games of the season could be rocky. With the club still working through multiple transfer issues, both in and out, having a game to play felt like a burden.
Villa’s squad was not ready for the season to begin, and that was reflected in the lineup they put out. There was no Emiliano Martínez, Ezri Konsa, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans or Morgan Rogers. To make things worse, only one of Villa’s six new signings was deemed ready to start.
With Brian Madjo and Tammy Abraham injured, and Ollie Watkins’ ongoing transfer saga, Villa were left without a recognised striker, with Ross Barkley filling in.
Based on the comments of Unai Emery after the game, it seems very much like Watkins refused to play. When asked if that was the case, Villa’s manager said: “Call his agent and he can respond”.
These words were in stark contrast to Emery’s from a few weeks ago, when he said that Watkins had been FaceTiming John McGinn and asking to come back early.
If he did indeed refuse to play, it is an extremely disappointing way for Watkins’ Villa career to presumably come to an end, and the club appear to be furious with the situation.
This is not the first time the uncertainty of the transfer window has impacted the start to Villa’s season. A year ago they did not win any of their first five games as speculation swirled around several of their players. Only once the window closed did their fortunes turn around.
However, it is difficult to completely excuse Villa’s performance on Sunday, regardless of the circumstances.
After making a bright start and squandering an excellent chance to take the lead through Emiliano Buendía, a string of mistakes gifted Brighton the opening goal.
Ian Maatsen’s loose throw-in turned into a sloppy pass from Pau Torres which was cut out before it could reach Marco Bizot. The goalkeeper then made a feeble attempt to win the ball back from Maxim De Cuyper, whose shot ricocheted off the post and Victor Lindelöf into the net.
Villa seemed to completely crumble mentally from that point.
Matty Cash continued his unfortunate habit of not holding the defensive line to let Brighton in for a second goal, as De Cuyper turned in Georginio Rutter’s cross. Jack Hinshelwood then added two more goals in the 30th and 31st minute and the damage was done.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of Sunday’s game was that the mistakes mostly came from preexisting players. Torres and Lindelöf in particular had nightmarish performances in central defense.
Then there was Gomes, the lone new signing to play on Sunday after returning quickly from a calf injury which was expected to keep him out longer. He will wish he had waited, after producing one of the worst debuts in Villa’s history.
The game simply got away from Gomes. He was booked early on for brandishing an imaginary yellow card at Peter Bankes, even though the referee did actually then book Pascal Gross for the tackle.
Gomes began to spiral from there and could recover his composure, putting in a risky tackle which could have resulted in a second yellow.
For Brighton’s fourth goal he appeared to be blatantly fouled on the edge of his own box as he gave the ball away, with Bankes not spotting it and VAR for some reason not getting involved.
Completing his miserable afternoon, Gomes felt he was fouled again by Rutter and kicked out in frustration, resulting in a straight red card for violent conduct which will carry a three-match ban.
Today’s result in isolation can be quickly erased from memory. Villa have lost heavily on the opening day before, taking a 5-1 drubbing from Newcastle United two years ago.
But it becomes a true disaster when it starts to impact future games, as it will now with Gomes missing the next three games, adding another issue to an already unsettled squad. The only positive is that Villa stopped the bleeding in the second half with 10 men.
Ultimately, this game will not define Villa’s season, and their campaign will not really get started until the transfer window closes. But after losing their heads today, they need to put in a much more composed performance against the reigning champions Arsenal next Monday night.
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