Aston Villa suffered a humiliating away defeat to Brighton, and Emery admitted that the team is in a period of rebuilding.

In the first round of the 2026-27 Premier League season, Aston Villa suffered a heavy defeat away from home, losing 0-4 to Brighton.

Brighton scored four goals in the first 31 minutes to establish a commanding lead, and although Aston Villa made a strong comeback in the second half, they were unable to change the score.

After the match, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery candidly summarized the team's predicament and affirmed the players' adjustments in the second half. Speaking about the first-half collapse and the team's current situation, Emery said, "It was a tough match, especially the first 20 to 25 minutes."

“We made mistakes, but the team is currently in a rebuilding phase, and mistakes are inevitable in this process. We were indeed unlucky today, and every mistake was converted into a goal by the opponent. Conceding four goals in the first half was really unexpected.”

"However, the team reacted very well in the second half. Even with one less player, everyone remained calm and resolutely executed the tactics, successfully curbing mistakes."

Aston Villa did not field a traditional striker in their starting lineup for this match, Emery added regarding the squad's weaknesses and the upcoming schedule: "The current objective conditions are indeed unfavorable for us, but we have faced similar adversities in the past two or three years and we have overcome them each time."

"Our new goal is to complete the reinforcements during the transfer window as soon as possible. Although we dropped three crucial points today, we will return home to face Arsenal next Monday. We will learn from our tactical drills this week and face the challenge at Villa Park with greater confidence."

Image source: Internet/Aston Villa official website