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.
João Pedro scored the winner, following up his own saved penalty to nod home, meaning Villa’s Champions League place remains under threat from Spurs
Updated
Sun 5 May 2024 11.26 EDT
First published on Sun 5 May 2024 08.00 EDT
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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