João Gomes was sent off in Aston Villa’s 4–0 opening-weekend defeat by Brighton in 2026–27.
Brighton scored four times in the first 31 minutes at home on Sunday 23 August 2026. Villa’s afternoon became even more difficult when Gomes was dismissed five minutes before half-time, leaving the visitors with ten players.
The red card made Gomes the first player dismissed in the first half of his Premier League debut since Samba Diakité of Queens Park Rangers received one against Fulham in 2012. That comparison is a historical detail from the match report, not a claim that Gomes was Brighton’s goalscorer.
Brighton’s four-goal burst placed the match among the fastest attacking starts in opening-round history. It also made Brighton only the fourth team to score four first-half goals on Matchweek 1, following Bolton Wanderers, Manchester United and Liverpool.