Brighton & Hove Albion secured a convincing 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in a dominant Premier League display.
Seagulls supporters sang about topping the league in a moment of levity, yet their team delivered a statement performance following a summer of significant upheaval at the club.
The hosts netted four times before half-time, providing reassurance that should boost confidence among supporters who have been asked to accept several major decisions.
Maxim De Cuyper was involved in everything – he inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net before scoring himself, while Jack Hinshelwood struck twice within sixty seconds. Aston Villa were reduced to ten men when Joao Gomes was dismissed.
The opening exchanges saw Brighton gradually find their rhythm, though they nearly undid themselves inside four minutes when Yasin Ayari miscued near his own penalty area, allowing Emi Buendia a shooting opportunity he failed to convert.
Villa’s number 10 also headed two efforts off target during the early stages.
However, Brighton’s tentative beginning was transformed by an unexpected opener on eight minutes.
De Cuyper collected a stray pass from Pau Torres in the visitors’ rearguard, turned sharply and fired towards goal. The ball struck the upright and bounced in off Victor Lindelof.
It came against the run of play but proved pivotal.
Ten minutes afterwards, De Cuyper found himself on the scoresheet properly after a superbly constructed move.
Olivier Boscagli’s measured long ball released Georginio Rutter down the left flank. Rutter beat his marker, reached the goal line and delivered a precise cutback for De Cuyper to tap home from close range.
It was encouraging – though recollections lingered of a 2-0 advantage in this fixture twelve months prior.
Yet this time Brighton pressed forward relentlessly, adding two more goals in the space of a minute through Hinshelwood.
A superb crossfield pass from Luka Vuskovic laid the foundation for the third on 30 minutes.
De Cuyper’s delivery to the far post was headed across goal by the airborne Diego Gomez, leaving Hinshelwood to nod in.
Excellent football. Then Ayari recovered possession immediately after the restart with a cleanly executed tackle rather than the foul Villa protested.
Hinshelwood calmly finished the fourth.
Just as circumstances could not deteriorate further for Villa, fourth official Matthew Donohue flagged a challenge by Gomes on Rutter in the centre circle.
Referee Peter Bankes reviewed the footage and produced a red card in the 40th minute.
Indeed, it could have been more favourable for Brighton and less so for Villa as De Cuyper sliced an effort wide and Marco Bizot made an excellent stop to deny a Gomez close-range attempt.
Ayari lifted a volley over from a De Cuyper corner early in the second period while, at the opposite end, Villa supporters began a defiant chorus.
Fresh substitute Costinha drilled a low effort against the woodwork and Charalampos Kostoulas, introduced simultaneously, was narrowly offside when converting the rebound.
Kostoulas, eager to open his account, sent an acrobatic attempt and a late header both over the crossbar while John McGinn appeared to escape punishment for a challenge on Ibrahim Osman inside the area.
Yet Brighton had already inflicted the damage and can now turn attention towards European competition and Thursday’s fixture against Tromso.
Brighton: Verbruggen; Wieffer (Yohanna 78), Vuskovic, Dunk, Boscagli; Ayari (Costinha 64), Gross; Gomez (Yalcouye 86), Hinshelwood (Kostoulas 64), De Cuyper (Osman 78); Rutter. Unused: Steele, Struijk, Svoboda, David.