Aston Villa 2 Brighton 1 - Report

Unai Emery’s men appeared to be cruising to victory when Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins put them into a 2-0 lead inside 26 minutes.

But Brighton, who had earlier seen an Julio Enciso goal overturned by VAR, pulled one back through Deniz Undav before the break.

Villa held firm through a sometimes nervy second half to secure a seventh place Premier League finish and a spot in next season’s Europa Conference League play-off.

Analysis

Victory completed the incredible turnaround which began when Emery arrived in November with Villa sat just above the relegation zone.

Few would have bet on the Spaniard extending his run of 15 straight seasons in European competition back then but the incredible revival in Villa’s fortunes he has engineered proved otherwise.

This was their 15th win the 25 Premier League matches of which he has taken charge.

In truth, they rode their luck at times during a first half as open as any seen during Emery’s reign, with Villa looking excellent in attack but somewhat shaky at the back.

The second half was more familiar with the hosts holding on to their lead with relative ease. The third goal which would have eased the nerves of home supporters never arrived but it mattered not.

Though Villa were unchanged from the 1-1 draw at Liverpool, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi made six changes to the XI which had drawn by the same scoreline with champions Manchester City in midweek.

The atmosphere which had been building from when thousands greeted the arrival of the home team coach prior to kick-off reached a crescendo at kick-off, with the Holte End a sea of claret and blue placards as the teams emerged from the tunnel and flamethrowers igniting in front of the Witton Lane.

There were fireworks almost from the get-go.

Fewer than five minutes had elapsed when Leon Bailey beat Pascal Gross to Ramsey’s cross and fired in a shot which flicked off the defender and off the bar.

It proved only a temporary reprieve. Luiz picked up the ball on the left, picked out the outside run of Ramsey and then advanced into the box to receive the return pass and send a low first-time finish past Steele from around 14 yards out.

The noise reached new levels but Brighton should have delivered an immediate sucker punch. Ferguson beat the offside trap to go clear but sent his finish over the bar.

An even bigger warning came on 20 minutes when Brighton briefly thought they had levelled. Gross crossed from the left and Enciso got in front of Martinez to stab home. Villa were saved by Gross having been a fraction offside earlier in the move.

Still, tensions were rising and it needed Villa scoring a second to temporarily ease them. Ramsey beat Steele to Bailey’s through ball and squared for Watkins to finish into an unguarded net.

But Brighton were far from beaten. Ferguson might have pulled one back had it not been for a slight touch from a diving Kamara on his shot. Undav then did get on the scoresheet when a VAR check this time went in the visitors’ favour and ruled he had been onside when springing the Villa offside trap at a Gross free-kick.

It then needed a save from Martinez to deny Undav a second and Brighton parity prior to the break after the striker had again got the better of the backline.

The break gave Villa chance to regroup and their lead was nearly restored in remarkable fashion when Luiz curled a corner off the bar.

Alexis Mac Allister sent a half volley bouncing inches wide as Brighton continued to threaten before Ramsey squandered a glorious chance to restore the two-goal margin when he somehow failed to convert Bailey’s cross at the far post.

The home players and crowd were becoming increasingly frustrated at some of referee David Coote’s decisions and John McGinn was booked for failing to retreat at a free-kick.

Villa Park craved breathing space but Watkins was unable to get enough power on his header from a volleyed Lucas Digne cross.

Emi Buendia, who replaced Bailey off the bench, sent a free-kick into the wall with Luiz then firing one into the Holte End as the match entered the final 10 minutes.

Ramsey’s cross was then a fraction too far ahead of a sliding Watkins and as the torture continued for the home side, Digne curled the latest free-kick a foot or so wide of the post.

Key Moments

8 GOAL Villa make the perfect start. Jacob Ramsey crosses from the left and Douglas Luiz fires low past Jason Steele.

20 VAR Julio Enciso thinks he has levelled for Brighton but a VAR check reveals Pascal Gross to have been offside earlier in the move.

26 GOAL Villa double their lead. Ramsey beats Steele to Leon Bailey’s through ball and squares for Ollie Watkins to tap home into an unguarded net.

38 GOAL Brighton pull one back. This time VAR rules Dennis Undav was just onside when Gross played a free-kick. He finishes calmly past Martinez.

Teams

Villa (4-4-2): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, McGinn, Luiz, Kamara, Ramsey, Bailey (Buendia 69), Watkins Subs not used: Carlos, Traore, Chambers, Young, Dendoncker, Revan, Patterson, Olsen (gk).

Brighton: Steele, Veltman (Estupinan HT), Webster (Van Hecke 66), Colwill, Gross, Ayari (Caicedo HT), Enciso (Mitoma 66), Buonanotte, Mac Allister, Ferguson, Undav (Hinshelwood 89) Subs not used: Dunk, Welbeck, Gilmour, McGill (gk).