Righto, John Brewin’s report is with us, which means we’re done here. Thanks all for your company and comments – enjoy the rest of the weekend and peace out.
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Oh my days! Goal after 89 and 90+1 minutes have given Arsenal a win away to Man City in the WSL. The title is “up for grabs now!”
As for Brighton, I wonder which players will stay this summer. It might be that Ferguson’s injury issues mean there’s no market for him, at least not at the level necessary, but I’m very hot on Enciso, who I think improves almost every Premier League attack.
So what does Unai Emery do now? He can’t toss the Conference, though retrieving a two-goal lead in the kind of atmosphere Olympiakos will create seems unlikely. I guess if Liverpool beat Spurs this afternoon, he’ll have greater margin for error – you’d think one more win would then do it – but a result for Spurs today, and things get very nervy.
Villa looked tired today and more than that, lacked any serious options off the bench to change things. Other hand, Brighton’s ability to send on Enciso made a crucial difference, and Villa’s tank looked empty – even after going behind, they found nothing.
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Spurs, by the way, also have to play Man City, so if they don’t win today, they’ll have a very big problem.
Also going on:
That was a little worrying for Villa, who may well have to face Liverpool next Monday night having schlepped to Athens to go out of the Conference. Chances are, Spurs don’t force them to win both their remaining games, but if they do, i’m not sure many would back them.
FULL TIME: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Aston Villa
Tottenham’s Champions League hopes remain alive. A tired, miserable effort from Villa means they’ve still work to do, but if Liverpool win at Anfield, it’ll take two wins for them to be sure. Brighton, meanwhile, move up to 11th thanks to a first win in six.
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90+10 min Brighton win a corner and take it short; that is surely it.
90+9 min Barco, who looks not unlike 90s hunk Steve Lomas, megs Cash who boots him and is booked.
90+8 min The delivery isn’t bad, but someone, I don’t see who, heads clear at the near post.
90+7 min Yup, Adingra is named player of the match and rightly so. But Villa have a corner down the right, Bailey to take…
90+6 min Bailey attempts a speculative hump from right to left, but Veltman is able to nod home under no pressure. Villa have been execrable today.
90+5 min I should say, though, that Joao Pedro has been much livelier in the second half, and with him, Adingra, Enciso – and Evan Ferguson to come back – Brighton should be a lot of fun to watch next season.
90+3 min Change for Brighton, Barco replacing Adingra – who will, I imagine, soon be named player of the match. Harsh on Olsen, who’d have been deserved it had the penalty not been awarded or had he kept it out, but ultimately it’s the Ivorian whose contribution appears to have settled this.
90+1 min Scramble in the Brighton box – currently, they look likelier to score a second than Villa a first – and Enciso, who’s entrance altered the flow of this game, battles through to find space, Pedro then going down under Torres’ challenge; no penalty says the ref.
90 min We’ll have nine additional minutes.
90 min De Zerbi was, apparently, booked after the goal, while Emery sends on Alex Moreno for Lucas Digne.
89 min Meanwhile, at Anfield, Spurs pay attention. Villa play Liverpool themselves soon, not a match from which they’ll want to need something, so Big Ange’s mates are still in this.
88 min Changes for Brighton, Moder and Baleba for Welbeck and Gilmour.
GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Aston Villa (Joao Pedro 87)
Pedro takes his time and very little run-up, digging out an unnecessarily difficult penalty that Olsen saves easily enough plunging to his right. But the ball rears up and Pedro saves him shame, nodding in what must surely be the winner! Poor Robin Olsen, he’s been superb today and doesn’t deserve that, but football is, frankly, an expletive and that’s why we love it so.
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PENALTY TO BRIGHTON!
Adingra exchanges passes with Pedro, who slides in him down the side of the box, and Konsa can’t helkp but get impatient, leaning in from behind. That’s a tame penalty but a penalty nevertheless, and Adingra has earned that with his tireless and enterprising running.
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83 min Now here come Brighton again, Enciso – who’s made a difference – coming inside and curving a delectable cross to the far post, where Welbeck’s up early! But though he wins the header, cushioning a decent effort, it loops just wide of the far post.
82 min Adingra looks to find a shooting lane, moving across the face of the box from left to right, but as soon as he does he squares for Gross, whose shot is blocked at source. He must be bushed.
80 min Ach, what a waste. A high ball down the left is collected by the battling Enciso, he feeds Adingra … and that’s a tired cross. It felt like he didn’t have the puff to think about what to do so gambled, Olsen again collecting.
79 min A poor corner to the front post is only half-cleared and when Adingra’s clearance is blocked by Bailey, the ball squirts through to McGinn who finishes from six yards, but it looked offside and the flag goes up immediately.
78 min It’s headed clear and Digne brings the ball away, finding Watkins to carries forward and returns the favour, the eventuating cross to the back stick run behind for a corner by the covering Adingra.
77 min Adingra goes at Konsa on the outside, but from a standing start he doesn’t have the explosion that might get him by and has to make do with a corner.
75 min Already, Duran looks a good change, him and Watkins attacking the box gives Brighton a different problem to deal with, and immediately Webster has to wave head at a cross, under pressure from the sub. The result is a throw, hurled in by Cash, and Diego Carlos hooks a shot behind.
73 min Later than it might’ve come, a change for Villa: Duran replaces Diaby.
72 min Now under way: our coverage of Liverpool v Spurs – or, as some are calling it, the More Points Than They Should Have derby.
NO GOAL! Brighton 0-0 Aston Villa
The tech says offside, and I can’t wait till we’ve got this semi-automated.
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70 min I think Gross’ foot is slightly ahead of Carlos’, but perhaps it isn’t. Looking again, I think it’s OK … but it’s not, he’s offside, by a fraction!
69 min But is Gross, on the line of the six-yard box, offside? I think he might be…
GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Aston Villa (Gross 68)
Adingra shoves wide to Pedro, he crosses low, and Gross opens body to glance in a finish from close range.
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67 min AND THERE’S ENCISO! Adingra’s passing has been much better second half and he sweeps a glorious pass over the top for Enciso! He’s got his man one-on-one and dips inside, but just when w’ere waiting for a cunning Solskjær finish, whipped inside the near post through the defender’s legs, he opens body seeking a top-corner curler, sending it floating over the top.
65 min I’m a little surprised Emery hasn’t yet acted from the bench – despite his lack of options, what his side have shown so far isn’t good enough.
64 min Adingra pulls back the surging Cash and is booked.
63 min Good again from Brighton, Welbeck into Adingra, who slides Pedro in behind! He’s got Torres just behind, restricting the angle at which he can come in, but even so, Olsen does really well again to spread his colossal corporeality and block the shot. So far, he’s been the most important player on the pitch.
61 min Change for Brighton and it’s potentially a biggun, Enciso replacing Buonanotte. If he can find last season’s form, he can affect this game.
60 min The corner comes to nowt.
59 min Cash has given Villa greater thrust down the right, but they’re missing the craft of Tielemans – and Buendía – in midfield. But it’s now Brighton pushing, Adingra skating down the outside of Konsa and swinging in a gorgeous low cross, Torres turning it behind with Welbeck behind him.
58 min Little bit of pressure for Brighton, Igor ending the passage by passing in behind for no one. We might, at last, have ourselves a game … or we might not.
57 min Villa are improving and it’s Cash to the fore again, slapping a rasper just wide from distance. Brighton can feel the pressure building.
56 min “I’m not sure what you and your internauts were expecting from this “‘hriller’” says Jeeremy Boyce. “Neither team needs a big result here, unless it’s the Seagulls wanting to save their manager’s job. But actually he’s on fairly safe ground, after all, what/who are the alternatives ? I hear Graham Potter is looking for work... All that talk of the Liverpool (or some other big club) job may have unsettled them and him, they should stick rather than twist. As for Villa, they just need to bat out time (especially with the cricket season already underway) to secure the coveted fourth Champions League spot. After all, who is their only ‘threat’ ? Lads, it’s Spurs. Time for keeping your powder dry and only loading when you see the whites of their eyes.”
55 min Better from Villa, Cash driving forward and finding Diaby, who hits the line and cuts back … past everyone arriving. A look there, and he might’ve been able to find a telling ball.
53 min Villa are still lethargic, and don’t have loads on the bench to get themselves going. Jhon Duran, maybe, but that’s a punt at best; perhaps an extra man in midfield might give them some control?
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51 min “Those of us West Ham fans who should ‘really be careful what we wish for’ are becoming a little perplexed that our defensively-minded pragmatic manager isn’t delivering on his end of the bargain,” grouses Brian Withington. “Still, just think how many goals we’d be conceding under a progressive manager who expects his team to play out from the back and control possession rather than sitting back in a passive low block. Oh.”
Yeah, I guess the Moyesiah’s time is up, but I don’t know if I grasp why it’s getting poisonous. He won a trophy and will bequeath a squad of quite some talent; if that’s not an acceptable legacy I don’t know what is.
50 min McGinn curls in the free-kick but Veltman falls over after Bailey blatantly glances at him, so we’ll go again; this time, Igor heads away.
49 min Watkins gets away down the left so Gross kicks him and is booked.
47 min “Villa fan here,” writes David Bertram. “Very poor first half and it’s starting to feel like a brilliant season might close a little disappointingly. Regarding links to Bayern, Emery’s just signed a new contract and been given his wish list of staff and facilities so for now I think he’s most likely going to stay. Having said that we’ve not really had any setbacks so far and villa fans aren’t known for their patience…”
Even Villa fans won’t hound Emery out, I’m sure, and I’m sure he’ll stay next season. I’m also sure that if they make the top four, there’ll be a climactic party – however they do it.
47 min Gross’ kick is headed clear by Diego Carlos but Brighton sustain the attack, Digne kicking Adingra’s cross away.
46 min Digne handles a cross and Brighton have a free-kick outside the right side of the box.
46 min We go again…
Chelsea now lead West Ham 4-0 and even I’m sorry Nic Jackson you’re not for real has scored.
Back come wa teams…
Half-time email: “Gave up on Brighton v Villa,” says Allan Castle, “in favour of Chelsea hosting West Ham, which has been good viewing. Pochettino has gotten a lot of stick this season, not least from some of the biggest pub bores in the Guardian’s comments section, but his job has been to put an arm around a lot of fragile egos and confused youngsters… and it’s starting to pay off. Chelsea looking like a team who are finally enjoying their football and playing as a team. As for West Ham, Bowen aside, the less said the better.”
It’s taken him longer than I thought it would, but as Smith and Gerrard found at Villa, having good players is one thing, arranging them into a coherent XI another. I also wonder if the absence of Enzo Fernandes has sped things up; it might be a coincidence, but Moisés Caicedo has certainly improved in his absence.
Half-time entertainment:
HALF-TIME: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Aston Villa
Let’s be real, that was pretty dry, but I’d expect better after half-time.
45+4 min HE’S DONE VERY WELL! Adingra lifts a terrific ball into the box and this time it’s measured to perfection, Gross timing his run to take it away from Olsen, who reacts superbly, springing off his back foot to spread himself and block a shot Gross thought would be turn into an empty net. He celebrates like he’s scored, and rightly so.
45+3 min Nice from Joao Pedro, making space outside by checking inside before flipping a fine cross to the back stick where Adingra, on the leap, looks to poke home, but Olsen is there to save. He’s not had loads to do, but what he’s done he’s done well.
45+1 min We’ll have five added minutes.
45 min Olsen’s up rubbing his shoulder, and Simon Kerchin emails: “If things carry on being super dull,” he begins, “Given the claim that football is a branch of moral philosophy, am I allowed to be the first to put in the obvious mention of Socrates? Looks like drinking hemlock would be preferable to watching Brighton v Villa.”
“The claim”? How dare you.
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42 min Buonanotte wins the ball in midfield and finds Welbeck on the ball outside the box; he strokes a ball in behind for Adingra and Olsen flings himself at it, neither man conceding any quarter. The keeper does really well to smother it, but as he does, bodies mince on the slide, and there’s a pause while he’s treated.
41 min “I agree that an in-form Toney is probably a better option off the bench when chasing a game,” says Kári Tulinius, “but he’s not been on song since his ban ended. Also, Watkins is a fine header of the ball, which is useful. Mind you, Southgate rarely picks the best free-kick and corner takers available.”
I think Toney has played quite well since coming back – he was superb the last time I saw him over 90, against Man United – and though we can’t say who’ll hti form in June and July, the ban means he should be fresh.
40 min But now Brighton move it quickly outside the Villa box, finding Veltman down the right, and he cuts back what would’ve been a clever cross had Luiz not been there to kick clear.
38 min Villa are starting to dictate possession a little more, asserting themselves without actually doing much. It’s a start, but Brighton will relish any opportunity to counter.
37 min It’s not looking good for West Ham, now 3-0 down at Chelsea after Madueke heads home from a corner. David Moyes might well be on his bike this summer, with Julen Lopetegui strongly rumoured to be succeeding him.
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35 min Villa look to have found some space going forward, Watkins finding Digne who lofts a fine return-pass forward and his first touch is excellent, taking him back inside, but he opts not to shoot and Brighton counter, Torres bodychecking Pedro just over halfway. He does well to avoid a booking.
33 min Villa just haven’t got going and it’s Brighton looking to create, Veltman crossing and Torres kicking away. We wondered if it might take Villa a while to run midweek out of their legs and system, and it certainly looks that way so far. Emery won’t be at all happy with what he’s seen so far.
32 min “Speaking of moral philosophy,” says Findlay Brown, here’s my ‘philosophical’ discussion about achievement in English football. I thought I’d chance my arm by sending it here because it’s not done much else for me so far!”
30 min Connor Gallagher has put Chelsea 2-0 up on West Ham. Has Mauricio Pochettino finally found the formula?
29 min So far, Watkins has touched the ball three times.
28 min There’s not loads going on here.
26 min “I think Brighton have gone backwards since the Europa League loss to Roma where De Zerbi perhaps underestimated the opponent in the first leg,” writes Rick Harris. “Villa look like they underestimated Olympiakos last week so their progress in the competition is hanging by a thread. Villa’s owners now need to back Emery in strengthening the squad to avoid doing a Newcastle next season.”
In fairness, Emery inherited a squad that was already lavishly appointed – the problem was Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard weren’t able to settle on a formation and XI. Villa already have the players and system to make a noise in the Champions League, but yup, if they invest they’ll have an even better chance of doing damage.
25 min Ach, Rogers cannae carry on; it doesn’t look like a proper tear or owt, more a tightness; Cash will come on, as soon as he’s ready.
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23 min Rogers is down and looks like he might have a hamstring situation.
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21 min And as I type, Adingra gets away down the left – he’s been the threat so far, taking advantage of a marker, Ezri Konsa, who’s really a centre-back. He flies down the flank, collects a pass into space, and crosses seeking Buonanotte, but Olsen intercepts easily enough.
21 min This has been a poor game so far, neither side seriously threatening.
20 min McGinn bravely looks to bring the ball out but Adingra is on to him; McGinn holds him off well enough to win the free-kick.
18 min I don’t know, the way Brighton look to bait the press by passing the ball back and forth isn’t something I’d want to watch every week. I want my football to be visceral more cerebral, and I find myself shouting “get on with it” every time they do it.
17 min Tangentially, Chelsea lead West Ham 1-0, the goal coming from Cole Palmer – a player I’d be all over. Not because he’s a potential starter, but because he’s a unique talent who brings something different and has the ability to slow a game down or speed it up.
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15 min We’ve not seen Watkins yet, but on him, are you taking him or Ivan Toney to the Euros? I’m going for the latter, who I think is a tidier technician and better finisher, but Watkins has had a fine season and offers a more potent threat in behind. Thing is, if either is coming on it’s because England need a goal, another reason I’d go for the player who can find space in crowded penalty-boxes, rather than the one better able to punish a high line.
13 min Rogers is playing infield today, presumably to get him on the ball more frequently; Diaby and Bailey are supplying width.
11 min This time the cross is a decent one, Welbeck attacking the near post and bundling over the top.
11 min Brighton are, as we thought, looking to stretch the pitch and Adingra looks in the mood, winning a corner…
9 min As well as dealing with people kicking a ball about, football is also a branch of moral philosophy so, in that vein: is hair gel a Beppe Di Marco beard acceptable in a football manager?
8 min The corner comes to nowt.
7 min Pre-match, I wondered if Brighton might dominate the ball but so far it’s Villa knocking it about. But as I type, Adingra dips inside his man, takes the ball away from Luiz, and wallops a shot from 20 yards … that Olsen turns around the post.
6 min Rogers looks lively, dropping off, finding space, and taking a fine pass into feet from McGinn, finding Diaby outside him; his low cross-shot is held by Verburggen at the second attempt.
4 min Brighton race straight down the other end and Adingra shows his pace down the left, shooting for Olsen to save.
2 min Douglas Luiz drives through midfield and he’s one of various players in this Villa side who looks ready for a Champions League step-up. He moves the ball outside to Diaby who finds Rogers, and Buonanotte clumsily barges him over; he might’ve got a bit of the ball, though, so no penalty says both ref and VAR.
1 min Away we go!
“Emery’s done way better than De Zerbi but there is like zero talk of him going anywhere,” writes Karen Asad. “De Zerbi on the other hand... Is it because of Villa’s new-found status of a quasi-big club or of an acceptance that Emery won’t work in a so-called big job?”
Weren’t Bayern interested in Emery? I’m not sure if minds have been made up on him, but I’d expect him to get another chance somewhere richer should he want one Taking over from Arséne Wenger at Arsenal, and inheriting the mess he did, is not conclusive evidence that he can’t do it in such circumstances.
Email! “Worth remembering,” says Colin McGurn, that “Villa have Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendía, Jacob Ramsey, Boubacar Kamara and Alex Moreno to come back from Injury and signed right back Kosta Nedeljkovic from Red Star Belgrade in January. Still need back up to Watkins, but more likely looking for starters than squad players in summer.”
So which current first-teamers are at risk?
And here come our teams…
Waiting for any Villa slip-up are Spurs. Don’t laugh, mate! As it goes, I think of the Lillywhites as I do Liverpool, a team who took a lot longer to regress to the mean that they might’ve done, but whose results have finally caught up with their performances. I’d be staggered if they were able to capitalise should things go wrong for the Villans.
Villa, meanwhile, will look to get the ball forward a bit quicker and will target Brighton in wide areas. But McGinn and Luiz will also look to break into the box and pick up bits and pieces, while Diaby and Bailey, with licence to express themselves, will swap about to pull defenders out of position.
Where is the game? Brighton will, I think, look to build patiently through midfield, playing off Welbeck and also looking for him in the box, with Pedro and Adingra looking to support. I imagine they’ll looking to cut in, with the full-backs supplying width to stretch Villa’s midfield across the pitch.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how Morgan Rogers does today. He’s got so much invention and potential, but even so, credit to Emery for integrating and trusting him; his success and that of Adam Wharton at Palace testify to the quality of the Championship.
Roberto De Zerbi speaks. He says playing without important players, especially the full-backs, changes something in build-up and “the last 40 metres”, hence the lack of goals and no wins in six. He respects Villa but they want to keep the ball, play football, and take a lot of shots.
So where do Villa – potentially fortified with Champions League money – need to strengthen this summer? A deputy for Ollie Watkins, perhaps, a right-back, and central-midfield competition for Douglas Luii, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans? Real talk, they’re pretty well covered, and I think they can do something in Big Ears next season.
Also going on:
Earlier this season:
Villa, of course, lost 4-2 at home to Olympiakos in midweek. It might take them a while to run out of their legs what was a tense and demanding match, and also on their collective mind will be Thursday’s return. They’ll hope to have Martínez, at least, back for that, especially given the prospect of penalties.
Martínez is a massive miss for Villa. Whatever you think about his performative attitude, he makes crucial saves and few mistakes; Arsenal let him go, but arguably he’s better than both Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya. Brighton will want to test Olsen early and keep him under pressure thereafter, if they possibly can.
As for Villa, Emi Martínez remains injured, Robin Olsen replacing him, while in front, Pau Torres and Diego Carlos replace Matty Cash and Clement Lenglet.
Three changes for Brighton. At the back, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman are replaced by Odeluga Offiah and Valentin Baroco, while up front it’s Daniel Welbeck ahead of Mark O’Mahony.
Let's have some teams...
Brighton (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Webster, Dunk, Igor, Veltman; Gilmour, Gross; Adingra, Pedro, Buonanotte; Welbeck. Subs: Steele, Enciso, Moder, Barco, Baleba, Fati, Offiah, Peupion, O’Mahony.
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Olsen; Konsa, Torres, Carlos, Digne; Bailey, Luiz, Rogers, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins. Subs: Gauci, Cash, Moreno, Chambers, Lenglet, Duran, Kesler-Hayden, Iroegbunam, Kellyman.
Preamble
It’s hard not to look at this match and ponder the managers. Little over a year ago, Roberto De Zerbi was the coming man, arriving to an already decent side and immediately turning it into more, the goals that seemed so hard to find under Graham Potter suddenly arriving more freely, along with some lovely football.
That was then; now, though, not so much. Perhaps Brighton finally fleeced richer rivals to such extent they could no longer simply rebuild and perhaps they didn’t have the squad toi cope with Europe, but also, perhaps opponents have caught on to their press-baiting style, which can be just as tedious to watch as it can be a buzz. So they find themselves 13th in the table – last term they finished sixth – and suddenly De Zerbi is as close to bald fraud as to epochal genius.
Unai Emery, on the other hand, is now utterly ensconced among the elite managers. His travails at PSG and particularly Arsenal, though reasonably attributable to messy circumstances beyond his control, might also be used as evidence he is unsuited to the richest clubs. But at taking mid-ranking clubs to glory seemingly beyond them, he is the best around, and Villa look like another perfect fit.
As such, they need just six points from their final three games to be certain of competing in next season’s Champions League, but with Palace away and Liverpool home to come, those will not be easily achieved. They’ll want to put a dent in things here and now.
Kick-off: 2pm BST
