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The dawn of a new era?

After surviving the drop by the skin of their teeth on the final day in May, things looked to be settling down in north London, where Roberto De Zerbi has had a long summer to bed in his plans for the team.

He's been given a huge backing by the club, spending big to bring in Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke in what has been an active transfer window for them.

But it was too easy for Brentford to get the better of them at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.

Twelve minutes in, the hosts took the lead through Keane Lewis-Potter and Spurs - who failed to win a single game after falling behind last season - again, could not recover.

Brentford strolled to a 3-0 win as home fans sang about Spurs' relegation.

Watch highlights of Brentford's 3-0 win against a woeful Spurs, as Roberto de Zerbi's new-look team got off to a dismal start.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Jeuel, London: With Villa losing their spine and Newcastle doing the same, who is the next team to step up and disturb the big six for the UCL spots? My bet would be on Brentford. They just keep getting better and have gems in Kayode and Sangare plus experience.

Hello, Jeuel. I was going to say Spurs, but having watched Brentford batter them on Saturday night you might be right, if they can maintain that form.

And, on that evidence, they have found a gem in Sangare. He looked like the £100m player not Sandro Tonali.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford only missed out on a European spot on goal difference last season, meanwhile Spurs survived relegation on the final day, so in theory, Brentford should've been the favourites coming into this game.

However, after spending nearly £250m on new signings, expectations have been raised significantly in North London - but the Bees clearly didn't read the script.

They looked slick, energetic, and well-organised, registering 26 shots to Spurs' nine, with new signing Mamadou Sangare impressing on debut.

He set up the first goal for Keane Lewis-Potter, before Vitaly Janelt capitalised on a rebound to make it two, and Michael Kayode completed the scoring shortly after the restart.

It should've been four when Brentford were given a penalty not long after Kayode's goal, but Igor Thiago smashed the ball against the post.

No matter, this was a convincing win for Keith Andrews' side, who have their sights on a first-ever European qualification come May.

Talking of Brentford...

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

The biggest loser - and you cannot say this very often - was Aston Villa manager Unai Emery.

Not only did he see his team 4-0 down and reduced to ten man at Brighton, he then had to face questions about the absence of Ollie Watkins, his silence suggesting the England striker had downed tools amid talk of a move to Saudi Arabia.

Never write off Emery though, he's a winner.

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Brighton's first half display against Aston Villa was a dream.

The Seagulls dominated the Europa League holders and scored four goals inside 31 minutes.

Two of them came from one of their own, Jack Hinshelwood, both within a minute of each other, as he became the only player (so far) to score more than once on the opening weekend.

The Worthing lad is currently the Premier League's top goalscorer.

Brighton took their foot off the gas in the second half, but the damage had been done.

The emphatic result will give them the world of confidence as they head into the second leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff with Norwegian outfit Tromso on Thursday, after the first leg finished goalless.

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On the other side of the coin, we've another nominee for the weekend's top winners.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Ian, Worcester: I fear for Villa. In the season when they could have a real go in the Champions League, they have sold all their best players. Konsa, brilliant for them and England, was the final straw. The club is falling apart. Unai Emery to leave next, disgruntled and disillusioned?

Hello, Ian. Not sure Aston Villa are falling apart. There is no doubt they have lost big players in Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa, while Unai Emery is clearly very unhappy with how Ollie Watkins has acted amid talk of a move to Saudi Arabia.

Villa, however, have always tried to back Emery where they can and he has huge power at the club, which his results justify. He also had a poor start last season, remember. He will expect big support between now and the end of the transfer window, and I expect him to get as Villa know he is the brilliant strategist behind their successes.

This was Villa's joint-heaviest opening-day defeat of the Premier League era, matching a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle in 2023.

That season, they went on to finish fourth.

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Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Like many, Aston Villa are a selling club, mainly down to necessity, and have been for a number of years.

They must comply with Uefa's squad cost ratio (SCR) which restricts them to spending 70% of their football related revenue on player and staff wages, transfer fees and agent fees.

They have already been fined twice by Uefa for breaches, being hit with a £9.5m sanction last year and a £19.4m fine in June, although £12.9m was suspended after Villa came to a settlement agreement with Europe's governing body. But it has meant the club's hands are tied in the transfer window.

The Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) also limited financial losses to a maximum of £105m over a rolling three-year period.

In their latest accounts, ending 30 June 2025, Villa had a post-tax profit of £17m but their two previous years showed losses of £119.6m (2023) and £85.4m (2024).

The regulations have now been replaced by SCR, meaning the Premier League falls in line with Uefa's model.

"It's necessity because of the rules," one former Villa executive told BBC Sport, when asked about the sales. "The PSR, the SCR, issues are well documented.

"It does seem slightly unfair they're having their ambition capped at this level. But it has forced this very big churn of players, which is unfortunate.

"Some will be forced due to PSR, some will be player demand. Combined it makes a big problem for Emery and certainly it is a lot to swallow in one go and to try and replace."

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We know who Phil's biggest winner of the weekend was and we'll find out who he thought was the biggest loser of the weekend shortly.

In the meantime, our chief football writer is standing by ready to answer your questions. Send them in using the 'Get Involved' button on this page.

On the basis of Aston Villa's 2025-2026 campaign - in which they secured Champions League football, a fourth-placed finish, and the Europa League trophy - the only way should be up for Unai Emery's side.

But Villa have had the rug swept from under them across a summer of huge change, with ten first-team players sold, and the future of key players Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez still unclear.

Villa conceded four goals in the first 31 minutes of their opening game at Brighton's Amex Stadium.

Bad went to worse when Villa midfielder Joao Gomes was shown a red card, leaving Emery's side 4-0 down with ten men - with more than a half of football left to play.

Fortunately, the Seagulls failed to inflict any more damage. But it was a chastening defeat for Villa, who have a lot of work to do if they're to come close to the successes of last season.

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