Preview:
It’s a big match in the Premier League tonight as fifth-placed Brighton and Hove Albion host fourth-placed Aston Villa in a clash crucial to both sides’ European ambitions.
The hosts are yet to taste defeat at the AMEX and look to leapfrog their opponents tonight with a victory that could see the Seagulls soar to third in the table.
The visiting Villains likewise approach this game with a tailwind of momentum, winning four of their last five in the league including an impressive victory against Manchester City, but their away form has seen them win, draw and lose two in six games.
Fabian Hurzeler makes three changes to the side that won 2-0 away to Nottingham Forest, most notably dropping Danny Welbeck for Stefanos Tzimas after the young forward scored as a substitute last weekend. Hurzeler cited his reasoning for the rotation as “saving them from injury and not getting them a ban.”
Unai Emery has also decided to make three changes, with summer signing Evan Guessand chosen ahead of Emiliano Buendia, while Donyell Malen and Youri Tielemans are replaced by Amadou Onana and Ollie Watkins.
Despite Watkin’s goal drought, the Spaniard maintains his faith in the 29-year-old. “He’s (Watkins) doing positive work for the team, and he’s very, very important for us. And the goals are coming.”
Live Match Blog:
Welcome to this live match blog for Brighton vs Aston Villa, I’m Austin Sparkes and I’ll be providing you with the latest updates in tonight’s fixture from the AMEX stadium.
A late change for the Villains as Emi Martinez is replaced by Marco Bizot due to an injury pre-match.
The stadium is rocking and a ball is yet to be kicked. The Brighton faithful are loud in numbers tonight as they host fourth place Aston Villa. Good old sussex by the sea rings around the AMEX as we prepare to get underway.
An especially loud ovation for the skipper Lewis Dunk who makes his 500th appearance in the blue and white stripes.
Good old Sussex by the sea rings around the AMEX as we get underway.
1′ Villa in an all burgundy strip today to avoid a shorts and socks clash, looks quite nice if I’m honest.
3′ Brighton thought they’d dispossessed Villa in their box but the ref calls for a foul.
6′ Carlos Baleba looked to be impeded as he tried to weave his way through the Villa press, but the ref says no foul to a serenade of Brighton boos.
8′ Brighton are looking to assert dominance with possession, though Villa seem comfortable to let the Seagulls have the ball as they favour a more direct approach.
9′ First corner of the game, and with the way the Prem’s going with set-pieces you can’t rule out a goal here.
9′ GOOOAL! IT’S 1-0 TOBRIGHTON AND IT’S A CORNER THAT’S UNDONE THE VISITORS. Jean Paul Van Hecke got his head to the ball amidst the sea of bodies to open the deadlock on the south coast. And would you know it, its another corner goal in the Premier League!
10′ VAR check says there’s no handball so the goal counts. A very good start for the hosts in a fixture they lost 3-0 in last season.
13′ Watkins wins a corner with an attempt blocked just inside the area. Emery will be hoping for a quick response from his side.
16′ For the analysts, Villa are set-up in Emery’s typical 4-4-2 shape out of possession with Watkins and McGinn pressing the Brighton defence. Hurzeler’s side are sitting in a 4-1-4-1 shape with Baleba at the base of the midfield, and right now Villa are struggling to find a way through them.
19′ Pau Torres appears to grab the hair of Brajan Gruda which sees the ref blow his whistle for a foul. Certainly an interesting way to stop your opponent.
19′ Mats Wieffer inverts into a defensive midfield role next to Baleba to create a 3-2-4-1 shape in possession with Diego Gomez pushing further forward to overload the attack.
21′ Stefano Tzimas has briefly exited the field for treatment, no substitution from Hurzeler yet as he seemingly wants to nurse the situation before calling it a day for the Greek striker.
23′ Two minutes later and Tzimas is off for Jack Hinshelwood. Not a like-for-like change, perhaps Hurzeler wants a bit more protection in his midfield. Gruda will likely play up top while Gomez takes the number 10 role.
25′ Brighton get a free-kick in shooting range, but Maxime De Cuyper’s effort deflects out for a corner.
26′ Poor Andy Madley is being serenaded to ‘you’re not fit to referee’ chants, by a very vocal home crowd tonight.
28′GOOOOAL! 2-0 NOW TO BRIGHTON, IT’S CALAMITOUS AT THE BACK FOR ASTON VILLA. Pau Torres inadvertently puts it into his own net trying to stop a cross from the substitute Hinshelwood. Terrible half-an-hour for Villa who’ve looked very rusty so far.
31′ Brighton fans are dedicating their next song to Tom Brady the Birmingham City fans, taunting the Villa fans with chants of ‘your city is blue’.
32′ A brief VAR check for a Villa pen is quickly dismissed. Lord knows they need it right now.
35′ Gruda has been excellent in finding pockets of space between the Villa lines to progress his side’s attack. If there’s another goal in this game I’d put my money on the hosts making it three.
37′ GOOOAL! VILLA HAVE ONE BACK, IT’S NOW 2-1! Ollie Watkins is in the right place at the right time to put away Ian Maatsen’s low cross to end his baron goal drought. The visitors have finally found an answer to Brighton’s dominance, could we have a comeback on the cards? And let’s not talk about my previous update please.
40′ Busy first half for the Brighton medics, this time it’s Ferdi Kadioglu whose gone down in discomfort.
44′ Villa have now changed to a compact 5-4-1 out of possession, which is leading to several groans from the AMEX as Brighton struggle to find an opening.
45+2′ Yankuba Minteh has been almost everywhere but up in the gantry with us. The Gambian winger has shown tremendous workrate all half, winning the ball back several times for his side.
45+3′ Watkins misses a great chance for a brace but the linesman flag just gone up though the striker was not to know that. The warning signs are there for Brighton to tighten up defensively.
45+6 Villa hit the post from a corner! The Villa fans in the adjacent side think it’s gone in.
45+6 GOOOOOOALLLLLLLLL IT’S IN NOW FOR VILLA! IT’S 2-2 HERE AND IT’S SUPER OLLIE WATKINS AGAIN WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?! A direct ball over the top from Morgan Rogers splits the Seagulls in half and the former Exeter City forward slots it calmly past Bart Verbruggen. We’ve got a game on our hands here, but sadly it’s almost half time.
HALF TIME: A brief VAR check concludes and the goal stands, the Villa fans are signing Ollie Watkins’ name at the top of their lungs and to be fair it’s about time they had some stick to dish back at the Brighton faithful after 45 mins of provocation.
A few half-time statistics to stay occupied. Brighton have had the bulk of possession with 55%, but significantly less expected goals (xG). The home side have only accumulated 0.86xG compared to Villas 1.49xG as per Sofascore.
As predicted earlier, Villa would be happy to not see the ball so long as they can create chances through direct forward passes that bypass the Brighton press. Outside of set-pieces Brighton have failed to register a shot inside Villa’s box, struggling to create clear cut opportunities against Villa’s low block. But for all this praise for Emery’s tactical nuance it’s still 2-2 and anyone’s game, let’s hope for a second half much like the first.
46′ We’re underway for the second half at the AMEX. Fingers crossed for more chaos and action, though the managers may disagree with me.
49′ It’s a half chance for Brighton that Hinshelwood skies. The Brighton fans are calling for a corner, a bit optimistic with that request as it was clear there was no deflection.
52′ No great chances yet, Minteh accelerates past Maatsen but his cross is easily swept up by Bizot.
54′ A cynical pull from Watkins on Wieffer, but the striker escapes a booking much to the dismay of the home fans.
55′ A schoolboy offside from Brighton following a short corner. A simple one-two that sees momentum dissipate in an instant.
57′ Despite loud chants for Gruda switch play, the German’s cross fails to leave the ground, cuasing more audible dissatisfaction from the Brighton faithful. It’s starting to get a bit cagey now with no real openings for either side to exploit.
58′ Maatsen twists and turns inside the Brighton box, but is forced to shoot with his weaker right foot which ends up safely in Verbruggen’s palms.
60′ This is Villa’s longest sustained period of dominance yet, they’ve come close through a free kick and now have a corner.
60′ GOOOOOOALLLLLLL! THE COMEBACK IS WELL AND TRULY COMPLETE HERE IN BRIGHTON. TWO GOALS DOWN AND NOW 3-2 TO ASTON VILLA! It’s the big man Amadou Onana with a towering header from the corner to give Villa an incredible lead
63′ Andy Madley brandishes this evening’s first yellow in the direction of Rogers, who repeatedly tried to bring down Minteh. The resulting free kick has gone out for a corner. Are we in for another set-piece goal?
66′ Brighton fans are absolutely livid. They think Ezri Konsa dribbled the ball out of play for a corner but the referee waved play on.
67′ Danny Welbeck comes on for Kadioglu, finally a recognised striker on the pitch for Brighton who are in desperate need of a goal now.
68′ A fan in front of me in the Brighton stands is not very happy with Andy Madley, unfortunately I can’t write his comments but it loosely translates to him being bad at his job. It’s bad evening to be a referee in Brighton.
70′ Youri Tielemans and Luca Digne come on for Boubacar Kamara and Lucas Digne, as Emery turns to fresh legs to help see out what would be an incredible result for Aston Villa.
72′ Dunk almost puts the ball into his own net from an Evan Guessand cross. Dare I say who I think might score next?
73′ Hurzeler’s side are growing ever more sloppy in possession, the frustration in the stands has translated to the players evidently who seem to have lost all composure.
74′ John McGinn finds himself in the ref’s book for taking too long to give Verbruggen the ball for a free-kick.
76′ GOALLLL! IT’S 4-2 AND ASTON VILLA ARE IN HEAVEN. It’s out of Brighton’s reach now surely and numerous fans in front of me agree as they head straight for the exit. Super sub Donyell Malen tucks it away after a goal-line scramble following Guessand’s header, after being on the pitch for mere seconds. Watkins was instrumental in the goal, his header back across goal create the chance for Guessand initially.
80′ Painful viewing for Brighton fans here, a 2-0 lead thrown away and now constant taunting from a jubilant away end, but what a night for Villa, as they climb up to third ahead of Chelsea.
82′ GOAL BACK FOR BRIGHTON! 4-3 IT’S NOT OVER JUST YET. The home side play some nice football outside the Villa box and it’s Van Hecke remarkably at the double to give Seagulls a glimmer of hope. 10 minutes left but it’s starting all over again, watch this space.
84′ It is electric at the AMEX! Gomez’s picks up the ball on the edge of the box, takes a shot that seemed to have been deflected and everyone in the stadium thought it went in. Interestingly, a goal kick has been given.
87′ Lamare Bogarde has come on for Guessand as Emery looks for defensive reinforcement against a very attacking Brighton side.
88′ Brighton come close to an equaliser again, this time from a long throw-in. Nervous end here for Villa who are starting to succumb to the pressure, can they hang on?
90′ Six minutes of stoppage time have been signalled. For the Seagulls it may fly by but for the visitors this will feel like eternity.
90+3′ Villa get a rare counter-attack but Malen opts to shoot from halfway rather than progress the ball.
90+4′ HOW HAVE THEY NOT SCORED? Marco Bizot produces an astonishing save to deny Welbeck from close range to save his side’s skin.
90+6 Bogarde wins a foul in his own half to relieve the pressure. Victory is so close now Villa can almost taste it.
FULL TIME. Brighton 3-4 Aston Villa. The AMEX stadium played host to a modern Premier League classic tonight that fans of both sides won’t forget in a hurry, for very contrasting reasons. Brighton lose their unbeaten streak at home, throwing away an early 2-0 lead, which sees them drop to seventh. The Villa fans will be singing long into the evening after a display of tremendous resolve and character. That’s it for the blog, I’m Austin Sparkes and thank you for tuning in.