Ball Bounces in the Box: Aston Villa Stumble against BrightonBall Bounces in the Box: Aston Villa Stumble against Brighton Aston Villa’s hopes of securing a Europa League spot took a hit on Saturday as they succumbed to a frustrating 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. The result leaves Villa ninth in the Premier League standings, while Brighton moved up to eighth. The match started brightly for Villa, who created several chances in the opening 20 minutes. However, they were unable to find the back of the net and Brighton gradually grew into the game. The visitors took the lead in the 32nd minute when Neal Maupay took advantage of a mistake by Villa goalkeeper Pepe Reina. The Frenchman pounced on a loose ball in the box and fired home from close range. Villa struggled to find their rhythm in the second half and Brighton had the better chances to extend their lead. However, the hosts held on and had a glorious opportunity to snatch a point in the dying minutes when Keinan Davis was through on goal. But the striker’s effort was brilliantly saved by Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan. The defeat was a blow to Villa’s hopes of qualifying for Europe, but they still have two games remaining in which to secure a top-seven finish. Brighton, meanwhile, will be delighted with their performance and result. The Seagulls have now won three of their last four away games and are looking to finish the season strongly. Reaction Aston Villa manager Dean Smith said: “We’re disappointed with the result, but we have to give credit to Brighton. They defended well and took their chance when it came. We need to be more clinical in front of goal and we’ll work on that in training this week.” Brighton manager Graham Potter said: “I’m very pleased with the performance and the result. We were the better team for most of the game and deserved to win. We’re now looking to finish the season strongly and see where we can finish in the table.”
