Aston Villa's Premier League opener could not have gone worse, with Joao Gomes' straight red card capping off a dismal afternoon.
Having been booked early by Peter Bankes for asking the referee to book Brighton's Pascal Gross, Joao Gomes' Premier League debut for Aston Villa always looked under threat of boiling over.
As the match continued to rapidly get away from the Villans, Gomes seemed to lose composure, making numerous fouls that could have led to a second yellow card.
A red card seemed inevitable and, on the 40th minute - with the Villans already 4-0 down - the Brazilian was given his marching orders, thanks to a kick out at Brighton forward Georginio Rutter.
Following this, let's take a look at how many matches Joao Gomes will miss as a result of his red card.
How many Aston Villa games will Joao Gomes miss?
Crucially, the card shown to Gomes was a straight red card - not a second yellow - for violent conduct, meaning that he will serve an automatic three-match suspension.
The Villans would be entitled to appeal his sanction, however - due to the clear evidence against their new signing - this is extremely unlikely.
Which Aston Villa matches could he miss?
Gomes will be unavailable for Aston Villa's next three Premier League matches, which are Arsenal (h), Hull City (a) and Nottingham Forest (h).
This means that Gomes will be unavailable in the Premier League until the Villans travel to Tottenham Hotspur on 12th September, their last match before the new, extended international break.
However, the Villans will also have their first matches of both the UEFA Champions League and the EFL Cup prior to the break, with the Brazilian able to play in both games.
