🚨 BRIGHTON RUN VILLA RAGGED, GOMES SEES RED IN WILD AMEX MAULING

📝 THE FULL PICTURE: Brighton dismantled Aston Villa at the Amex, racing to 4-0 before halftime in a statement performance. Jack Hinshelwood scored twice while Maxim De Cuyper bagged one and forced another off Victor Lindelöf after a dreadful Pau Torres back-pass. Villa's collapse was total. New signing João Gomes had a nightmare debut, getting sent off for violent conduct on Georginio Rutter at 4-0 after a VAR review. Villa were shorthanded everywhere: Konsa, Rogers, Digne and Tielemans sold, Ollie Watkins' future uncertain and no center-forward available, so Emery pushed Emiliano Buendía into emergency striker duty. Emery bolted for the tunnel without shaking hands. Hürzeler's Brighton wanted it more, plain and simple. 💭 MY TAKE: This was an identity crisis for Villa. Emery's core got dismantled over the summer and the cracks showed in neon. But you can't blame the absentees entirely, that defensive showing was a disaster. Gomes deserves a little grace, debuts can be brutal, but kicking out at Rutter like that? Straight red, no debate. Meanwhile Hürzeler lost plenty of his own guys and still had Brighton hunting in packs. That's how you set a tone.