Brighton delivered a significant blow to Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes with a late winner from Joao Pedro at the Amex Stadium.
The Brazilian striker headed home a rebound in the 87th minute after his initial penalty was saved by Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.
Pascal Gross thought he had opened the scoring earlier for Brighton, but his effort was ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Villa also had a goal disallowed when captain John McGinn was deemed offside before finding the net.
Despite a sluggish performance, Villa missed the opportunity to strengthen their fourth-place position with two matches remaining. Brighton, on the other hand, capitalized on their chances and secured a crucial victory.
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The Seagulls had been pressing for a breakthrough throughout the match, and their persistence paid off when Simon Adingra won a penalty after being brought down in the box by Ezri Konsa. Although Pedro’s penalty was initially saved, he reacted quickly to nod in the rebound.
The victory lifted Roberto de Zerbi’s side to 11th in the table, ending a six-match winless run and securing their first home win against Villa since 1980.
With the win, Brighton continues to push for a strong finish to the season, while Villa’s Champions League aspirations have been dealt a significant setback.
The post Brighton stun Villa to dampen Champions League hopes first appeared on 3News.
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