João Gomes was sent off in the first half of his Premier League debut for Aston Villa against Brighton in August 2026.
Brighton defeated Aston Villa 4–0 on 23 August 2026, scoring all four goals during the opening 31 minutes. Gomes, a summer signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was dismissed five minutes before half-time. His red card left Villa with ten players for the remainder of the match.
The dismissal carried a notable statistical distinction: Gomes became the first player sent off in the first half of his Premier League debut since Samba Diakité of Queens Park Rangers in 2012. That earlier dismissal occurred against Fulham.
The match is also remembered for Jack Hinshelwood’s two goals in 79 seconds, although those goals are a separate fact from Gomes’s disciplinary record. Brighton’s victory was their first match of the campaign and one of the most emphatic results of the opening weekend.