Brighton Crushes Aston Villa 4-0 in Premier League Opener

Brighton and Hove Albion kicked off their Premier League campaign in style on August 23, defeating Aston Villa 4-0 at the American Express Community Stadium. The Seagulls took just eight minutes to break the deadlock, with Maxim de Cuyper forcing an own goal from Victor Lindelof.

Belgian midfielder Georginio Rutter made a well-timed run behind the Villa defense, and his cut back was turned in by De Cuyper from six yards out. Fabian Hurzeler's side were 2-0 up just 10 minutes after kickoff.

Villa, who finished fourth in England's top-flight last season, struggled to find their footing after that early setback. They had made a promising start, with Emiliano Buendia almost giving them the lead inside five minutes.