Unai Emery was near frustrated a fig connected Monday nighttime arsenic Aston Villa failed to capitalise connected their dominance successful an eventual 2-2 gully with Brighton & Hove Albion successful the Premier League.
The effect leaves Aston Villa successful ninth spot successful the array with 29 points astatine the halfway signifier of the season, portion Brighton way the Villans by conscionable 2 points successful 10th place, having recorded their league-high ninth gully of the campaign.
Despite the prime that some sides are precise susceptible of producing, it was an aged schoolhouse extremity that broke the deadlock arsenic Lewis Dunk sent a agelong shot forward, with the bounce being misjudged by 2 Aston Villa defenders, allowing Simon Adingra to pounce connected the escaped shot wrong the container and nonstop his changeable curling past Emi Martinez successful the Villa net.
The Villans took the inaugural aft the opener arsenic they searched for a mode backmost into the game, and erstwhile Morgan Rogers appeared to beryllium upended wrong the container it seemed they had recovered their route, lone for a VAR cheque to contradict the penalty, but minutes aboriginal and Rogers was brought down again, with an adjacent lengthier cheque yet awarding a spot kick, and Watkins needed nary 2nd invitation arsenic helium fired Villa level.
The barrage against Brighton continued instantly aft the half-time restart, and conscionable 2 minutes aft kick-off, Ollie Watkins turned supplier arsenic helium unselfishly clipped the shot to the backmost station for Rogers to thorax down and half-volley into the acold corner, returning the favour to his teammate for winning the first-half penalty.
Brighton's menace yet returned and improved aft they narrowly survived a play of Villa dominance, and the Seagulls were rewarded for their attacking intent erstwhile Tariq Lamptey started a determination with a surging tally earlier finishing it disconnected with a almighty decorativeness into the bottommost corner, a extremity that secured the melodramatic draw.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
Emery has rightfully go an adored fig for his singular accomplishments since joining Aston Villa, lifting them from a relegation-threatened broadside to competing successful the Champions League, but the tides consciousness similar they whitethorn beryllium starting to crook successful caller months.
After enjoying different beardown commencement to this campaign, his broadside present beryllium ninth successful the table, six points down fourth-placed Chelsea, and person won conscionable 4 of their past 14 Premier League fixtures.
His in-game absorption and antiaircraft tactics person some travel nether rightful disapproval from Aston Villa fans, and the Spaniard desperately needs to find caller solutions adjacent twelvemonth if they are to ascent backmost up the array and vie for European spots.
As for Brighton, Fabian Hurzeler's broadside person already drawn 9 retired of 19 fixtures this season, a worrying statistic that shows their inability to clasp onto leads, a occupation that reared its caput again here.
While they are intelligibly a talented squad that play immoderate beauteous shot astatine times, Hurzeler seemingly needs to archer immoderate of his attacking players to halt forcing an other walk and sometimes instrumentality a changeable connected goal.
Outside of that, the Brighton manager tin beryllium blessed with his men's antiaircraft performance, lasting beardown against periods of question aft question of Villa attacks passim the lucifer and yet taking a bully constituent from a hard travel to Villa Park.
ASTON VILLA VS. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION HIGHLIGHTS
12th min: Aston Villa 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Simon Adingra)
© Imago
Brilliant from Adingra, Brighton person the lead!
Brighton initially look to play retired from the back, but uncovering nary mode through, Dunk decides to nonstop the shot successful down the Aston Villa defense, with Joao Pedro and Adingra chasing it down.
Pedro gets a flimsy interaction connected the ball, taking the 2 Villa defenders retired of the crippled arsenic they unreserved past the resulting escaped ball, allowing Adingra to cod wrong the container and clinically curl into the acold corner.
36th min: Aston Villa 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Ollie Watkins)
© Imago
Watkins is backmost successful the broadside and backmost amongst the goals!
A lengthy VAR cheque takes spot for a imaginable foul connected Rogers by Pedro, who attempts to wide a escaped shot wrong the container from a country but appears to drawback the limb of the Villa midfielder.
The punishment is yet awarded, and Watkins steps up, making nary mistake arsenic helium converts it into the bottommost left, sending the keeper the incorrect way.
47th min: Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Morgan Rogers)
© Imago
What a commencement to the fractional for Villa, Rogers has fired them into the lead!
Brighton neglect to wide their lines from a country connected respective occasions, and the shot yet falling to the feet of Watkins conscionable extracurricular the area.
Watkins unselfishly chips his walk from the near to the close of the box, wherever Rogers chests it down and half-volleys into the bottommost near corner, a fantastic finish.
81st min: Aston Villa 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion (Tariq Lamptey)
© Imago
Lamptey with a superb finish, Brighton are backmost level!
Lamptey starts the determination with a driving tally from his ain half, with the shot being switched retired to Kaoru Mitoma connected the near helping via Pedro, wherever the winger cuts the shot backmost to the Brazilian wrong the box.
Pedro takes a interaction earlier flicking his walk into the abstraction successful beforehand of Lamptey, who steps onto it and smashes the shot into the bottommost near country with a beauteous finish.
MAN OF THE MATCH - LEON BAILEY
Bailey had an exceptional nighttime successful a lucifer that Villa were ascendant for ample durations of play, and contempt not straight contributing with a extremity oregon assist, helium is much than deserving of the antheral of the match.
The winger completed a monolithic 9 dribbles passim his 77 minutes connected the pitch, much than immoderate different subordinate crossed some sides, portion helium besides made 3 cardinal passes, a genuinely unsafe show from the Jamaican.
Rogers, Watkins and Pedro could each besides person been fixed the antheral of the lucifer acknowledgment to their performances and extremity contributions, but Bailey's show made him the wide choice.
ASTON VILLA VS. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION MATCH STATS
Possession: Aston Villa 60%-40% Brighton & Hove Albion
Shots: Aston Villa 20-13 Brighton & Hove Albion
Shots connected target: Aston Villa 4-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Corners: Aston Villa 12-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Fouls: Aston Villa 9-14 Brighton & Hove Albion
BEST STATS
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) December 30, 2024— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) December 30, 2024
WHAT NEXT?
Aston Villa volition look to permission their inconsistent extremity to 2024 down them erstwhile they kickstart the caller twelvemonth by hosting Leicester City astatine Villa Park successful the Premier League connected Saturday.
Meanwhile, Brighton's winless streak is extended to 7 games, a tally they volition anticipation to interruption with their archetypal fixture of 2025, which sees them big Arsenal connected Saturday evening.
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