Joao Pedro secured a late victory for Brighton, dealing a blow to Aston Villa’s Champions League aspirations at the Amex Stadium.
In the 87th minute, the Brazilian striker headed home a rebound after his penalty was initially saved by Robin Olsen.
Prior to Pedro’s decisive goal, Pascal Gross had a goal disallowed for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), while Villa’s captain John McGinn was ruled marginally offside before scoring at the other end.
Despite the loss, Unai Emery’s fourth-placed side maintains a seven-point lead over Tottenham, who suffered a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday but have a game in hand.
Following a disappointing loss to Olympiakos in the Europa Conference League, Villa missed an opportunity to solidify their fourth-place position with only two matches remaining.
Throughout the match, Villa appeared lethargic, while Brighton looked poised to take the lead in the 68th minute when Gross cleverly finished a Pedro cross, only for VAR to intervene.
Despite facing a resilient performance from Villa goalkeeper Olsen, Brighton continued to press forward. The decisive moment came when Simon Adingra was fouled in the box by Ezri Konsa, leading to a penalty.
Although Pedro’s penalty was saved by Olsen, the striker reacted quickly to nod home the rebound, sealing victory for Brighton.
With this win, Roberto de Zerbi’s side climbed to 11th place in the table, ending a disappointing six-match winless streak and securing their first home victory against Villa since 1980.
