Joao Pedro scored a decisive late goal that damaged Aston Villa’s Champions League aspirations, as Brighton triumphed at the Amex Stadium.
The Brazilian scored by heading in a rebound in the 87th minute after his penalty was initially stopped by Robin Olsen.
Earlier in the match, a goal from Pascal Gross was disallowed for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and Villa captain John McGinn’s goal was also ruled out for a marginal offside.
Despite the setback, Unai Emery’s team, which is in fourth place, maintains a seven-point lead over Tottenham, who have two games in hand and are set to play Liverpool on Sunday.
After their disappointing defeat to Olympiakos in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, Villa missed an opportunity to solidify their grasp on fourth place with just two matches remaining.
Throughout the match, they appeared lethargic, while Brighton seemed poised to take a well-deserved lead in the 68th minute when Gross expertly finished a cross from Pedro. However, VAR intervened, dampening Gross’s celebrations.
Despite facing the fine form of Villa’s goalkeeper Olsen, who replaced the injured Emi Martinez, Brighton continued to apply pressure. The breakthrough came when winger Simon Adingra was brought down in the box by Ezri Konsa, prompting referee Robert Jones to award a penalty.
In a moment typical of the match’s narrative, Pedro’s penalty was initially saved by Olsen, but the striker reacted swiftly to head in the rebound.
With this victory, Roberto de Zerbi’s team climbed to 11th place in the table, ending a disappointing streak of six winless games and securing their first home win against Villa since 1980.
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