Worst start in Premier League history? Aston Villa collapse after summer of upheaval

SportFootballWorst start in Premier League history? Aston Villa collapse after summer of upheavalThere were empty seats in the Villa end after they went into half time down to 10 men and 4-0 down to BrightonJamie Braidwood Sunday 23 August 2026 14:57 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b3037766","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/aston-villa-brighton-premier-league-b3037766.html","title":"Worst start in Premier League history? Aston Villa collapse after summer of upheaval "}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-169801","index":0}(Getty)Inside Sport newsletter: Get an expert guide to the biggest moments shaping the world of sportGet our free Inside Sport newsletterGet our free Inside Sport newsletterEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"pianoFieldName":"receiveInsideSportNews","regTitle":"Inside Sport","subscriptionGroup":"inside_sport","subscriptionGroupId":"9cec95c5-a973-40ac-9b05-03d636c07853","type":"sport","pathPrefix":["/sport","/f1"],"associatedAuthors":["Lawrence Ostlere","Kieran Jackson"],"title":"Inside Sport newsletter: Get an expert guide to the biggest moments shaping the world of sport","mobileTitle":"Get our free Inside Sport newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/InsideSport1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveInsideSport","regSourceSection":"Football","regSourceNewsletter":"NSC"},"isClimate":false}A summer of change off the pitch for Aston Villa was followed by one of the worst opening 45 minutes of a season in Premier League history as Unai Emery’s side collapse at Brighton. Last season’s Europa Le...