Steve Bruce 'jealous as hell' of Brighton despite Aston Villa draw

The substitute’s 89th minute strike somehow defeated keeper David Stockdale to earn Villa a point and see Brighton pipped on the line by Newcastle.

Glenn Murray’s 64th minute penalty, after Nathan Baker had been sent off for bringing down Sam Baldock, looked to have put Chris Hughton’s team on course to be crowned champions.

But Grealish’s late goal saw Newcastle, who were 3-0 winners at home to Barnsley, leapfrog them at the last.

Brighton, however, will still be heading to the Premier League next season, while Villa face another campaign in the second tier.

And Bruce said: “I can sympathise (with Brighton) because it happened to me with Birmingham. We had to go to Preston after we’d been top of the league for so long. It feels as if there’s a dampener been put on it.

“But after two days they’ll get and holiday and look back and think ‘job achieved’. Yes they will like the cup, I’m sure of that, but they’ve got promoted.

“Congratulations to them. For us to be 30 points behind them and Newcastle shows the work I’ve got and we’re all as jealous as hell of them really.

“We’ve showed today what the Championship is. It’s tough. We did well with 10 men and we’ve got our reward.”

Villa had the best of the opening hour against the surprisingly sluggish Seagulls but Henri Lansbury headed wide from close range and Stockdale denied both Scott Hogan and Conor Hourihane.

Baker’s dismissal and Murray’s spot-kick then looked certain to be the game’s defining moment, particularly after Stockdale then kept out another Hourihane free-kick.

But with the clock ticking down, the keeper allowed Grealish’s shot to slip under his body.

Bruce felt his team should have had a penalty, prior to Baker’s red card, when substitute Keinan Davis appeared to be brought down in the box.

“He’s missed a stonewall penalty from the young boy here which was the worst decision I think I’ve seen all season,” said Bruce.

“Their penalty? He got that correct. It looked a penalty to me and it looked a sending off.

“But the one on Keinan about five minutes before that was a bit point in the game. And up until then, with 10-men anyway, we actually had the better chances.”