João Gomes became the first player dismissed in the first half of a Premier League debut since 2012 during Aston Villa’s 2026–27 opener.
Gomes was sent off in Aston Villa’s opening-weekend match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, 23 August 2026. The dismissal arrived five minutes before half-time, when Brighton were already leading heavily.
The Brazilian midfielder had joined Villa from Wolverhampton Wanderers during the summer. His debut therefore became memorable for an unusual disciplinary distinction as well as for the team’s difficult result. Brighton went on to win 4–0 after scoring four times in the first 31 minutes.
The previous player cited for the same combination of events was Queens Park Rangers midfielder Samba Diakité. He was dismissed in the first half of his Premier League debut in a 2012 match against Fulham. Gomes’s red card thus ended a 14-year gap between those notable incidents.