2 April 2025
Brighton 0 Aston Villa 3
Two in-form teams met at the Amex Stadium as Brighton welcomed Aston Villa. Fabian Hurzeler’s side had got themselves into a position that, potentially, victory could see them move into fourth place in the Premier League table. Unai Emery’s side are desperate to finish in the top four to ensure that their Champions League exploits are not to be a one-season-wonder.
The visitors seemed to have more of a zip about them from the off. McGinn intercepted a loose pass and skipped past the intended target Hinshelwood. He brought down the Scot and was shown the first yellow card of the game. Villa were passing the ball about well and their quick movement in between the lines was causing problems for the hosts.
From the resulting free-kick, Digne drifted a ball into the back post. It was taken on the chest by Cash, who fired off a rasping effort, narrowly grazing the crossbar on its way through. The defender was inches away from giving Aston Villa the lead. Brighton have been making slow starts to games of late, something Emery’s side were looking to capitalise on.
The Seagulls turned defence into attack quickly as they countered. Mitoma ran at the Villa back line before laying it into the path of Adingra. He drilled a shot from the edge of the box that missed the top corner by the narrowest of margins. An early warning to the visitors that they are only ever really a couple of passes away from being opened up by Hurzeler’s side.
As Emery’s team came forward with McGinn, he laid it into the path of Ramsey. The midfielder baffled Hinshelwood with a couple of stepovers, before taking it past him in the box and immediately going to ground. The referee waved away appeals for a penalty and the subsequent VAR check saw nothing to justify them getting involved.
This is the problem with the process. Looking at the replay, there seemed to be contact, enough to bring the player down. However, as the onfield decision was no penalty, they are not checking for a foul but a ‘clear and obvious error’. That needs to change, video technology should be there to uphold the laws of the game and not massage the egos of referees for their years of bullying in school.
Just before the interval, Brighton won a free-kick in a dangerous position. Ayari stepped up to take it and his low effort had Martinez beaten but came back off the base of the post. The hosts wanted a handball as it struck a Villa arm but VAR adjudged it was in a natural position and the player had no reaction time to get out of the way as it struck the woodwork.
After the break, the hosts forced an early corner. Van Hecke’s header was easily gathered by Martinez and Aston Villa looked to break quickly. A ball over the back-tracking Brighton defence found Rashford. He slotted it past Verbruggen to give the visitors the lead. After ending his scoring drought on the weekend, it was now two goals in as many games for the Man Utd loanee.
Moments later Hurzeler’s side thought they had drawn level as Adingra stroked it home at the back post following a block from Martinez. Villa were appealing a handball from Mitoma in the build-up and the VAR studio sent the referee to the monitor. It was a contentious decision, if you asked five people, they would have all seen it differently. However, the goal was to be chalked off.
As Brighton threw caution to the wind more, it left them open at the back. The one thing this Unai Emery side seemed to have added to their game with their January signings is the ability to really hurt sides with lightning-quick counter-attacks. With the quality Aston Villa have at their disposal, not many sides are able to cope with it.
One such instance saw a ball played down the flank for Rogers. The defender tried to cut it out but got it all wrong. As the midfielder burst down the wing, he rolled it into the path of an unmarked Asensio in the middle. His first-time shot nestled into the bottom corner to seal victory for the visitors with only just over ten minutes remaining.
There is something just not clicking with Brighton at the moment, they seem to give opponents far too many chances. The midfield is quite attacking and seems to be lacking that defensive midfielder to drop in and sit in front of the back four to protect them. As a result, it is leaving them too exposed, something you will be punished for at this level more often than not.
In the tenth minute of added time Asensio played the ball into the path of Malen wide in the box. He drilled a shot through the legs of a defender and into the far corner to put the icing on the cake for Aston Villa. It was a comprehensive victory that moved the visitors above Brighton in the Premier League table, keeping top four hopes alive.
There is no doubting the effect that Asensio and Rashford are having on this Villa team. The only wonder is whether the club will fork out the money to make their signings permanent at the end of the season. Emery’s team are coming into form just at the right time as they start to consider their Champions League quarter-final against PSG.
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