Without a goal from the boot of one of their players throughout April, Brighton looked to make amends immediately as Simon Adingra forced two smart saves from Robin Olsen.
Knowing a victory coupled with Spurs’ failure to beat Liverpool later this afternoon would secure a top-four finish, Villa were dealt another blow in terms of their ever-growing treatment room list in the 26th minute as the in-form Morgan Rogers was forced from the pitch with what appeared like a problematic injury.
Deputising for the injured Emiliano Martínez, Olsen proved his worth deep into added-on time at the end of the first half as the Swedish shot-stopper chased down Pascal Groß to ultimately keep out his one-on-one effort.
Despite this chance for Brighton to change the complexion of the match at a crucial time, the early second-half minutes weren’t for the purists, with Groß unable to find a teammate from a free kick.
Having suffered only a single Premier League defeat since Boxing Day, Villa looked like a more offensive unit as the second half progressed, with Matty Cash’s thunderbolt from distance flying inches wide of Bart Verbruggen’s left-hand post.
At the opposite end of the Amex, Olsen again prevented another one-on-one effort from hitting the back of the net, as on this occasion, Pedro was denied by a combination of his arm and leg.
Despite that, it initially appeared there was nothing that Olsen could do to prevent Brighton from breaking the deadlock in the 68th minute, when Igor played in Groß, who fired into the bottom-left corner.
However, VAR welcomingly came to Villa’s rescue as Groß’s goal was ruled out, following a prolonged delay, after it was decided the midfielder had stepped marginally beyond the shoulder of the last visiting defender.
Villa had a goal of their own disallowed not long after, as John McGinn’s foot was adjudged offside.
However, Brighton would secure all three points in fortuitous circumstances in the 87th minute.
Ezri Konsa committed a foul in the box, giving Pedro the chance to seal the points, Olsen correctly guessed the direction of the Brazilian’s penalty, but he couldn’t prevent the headed rebound from going in, putting Brighton within a point of the PL’s top half.
Meanwhile, Villa are nervously eyeing Spurs over their shoulders, with the seven-point gap from the fifth-placed Londoners looking vulnerable in the context of their two games in hand.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Simon Adingra (Brighton and Hove Albion)
