Aston Villa came from two points behind to claim a chaotic, seven-goal thrilling win over Brighton, winning 4-3 and taking third place in the Premier League.
Villa got off to a nightmare start on the south coast. A late substitution for Emiliano Martinez, a mistake by goalkeeper Marco Bizzotto and an own goal from Pau Torres gave Brighton a 2-0 lead after 29 minutes.
However, Ollie Watkins’ double ended an 11-game goal drought and sensationally leveled Villa before half-time.
Amadou Onana’s header put Villa back in the game in the 60th minute, and substitute Donyell Malen scored with his first touch in the 78th minute to give Villa a two-goal lead.
However, just five minutes later, Jan Paul van Hecke scored his second goal of the game, putting Brighton on the brink of a comeback.
Bizot then made up for Van Hecke’s mistake in the opening goal with a fine save in stoppage time to deny Brighton substitute Danny Welbeck and Villa maintained their sixth consecutive win in all competitions.
The dramatic victory left Unai Emery’s side six points clear of leaders Arsenal, who play at Villa Park on Saturday.
Brighton dropped to seventh after suffering their first home defeat of the season, but will have a chance to redeem themselves when they host West Ham on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Sunday, December 7th 1pm
Kickoff at 2pm
Watkins: Hard times can be forgotten.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins told Sky Sports:
“Since the coach came, I think I’ve scored a lot of goals and made some assists. I’ve always found myself playing regularly in the team.”
“So when you go for a long time without scoring, it affects you. It was tough, but you have to pick yourself up, show up every day and keep working hard.”
“Now I can put it behind me and keep moving forward because in the end I get paid.
“We are in a great position and even if we didn’t score we saw the bigger picture of us progressing further in the league.
“What’s not to love, really, when we win every week? So if we can add goals, it’s even better.”
Emery: The players understand they need to be consistent
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery told Sky Sports.
“The players have a challenge to be consistent. Marco Bizzotto was great after Emi Martinez got injured. Marco is a really great guy, a great professional. His role was clear and he accepted it. When he’s playing like he did today, we’re really, really proud of him.”
“Watkins scored again today. Amadou (Onana) scored a set-piece goal. That’s something we’ve been working on and missed. We got it today.”
“We needed other players to score goals like we did today. I’m proud of the way our players responded. This is the way we want to build and build within our structure.”
On Watkins: “When Watkins is doing his job, he’s playing great. Sometimes he scores, sometimes he doesn’t. He went a long time without scoring, but he scored today and got his balance back. He needs to stay calm and keep moving forward.”
Haseler: Low profit margins are costly.
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler told Sky Sports.
“It was a small difference that made the difference. It was about how we reacted and two set-pieces made the difference. Those are small differences. Overall you saw a team that never gave up and had the belief that they were going to win this game.”
“Overall, we have defended very well so far this season. Defending set-pieces is not easy. There are still no clear rules regarding goalkeeper blocks.”
“It’s not easy to concede a goal and we want to react to it. We have to take on the adversity we face in the game and we have to be better.
“It was a close question. They scored in the second half after two set pieces and that was the difference. We have to do better and keep improving.”
Watch: 7-goal thriller
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Jan Paul van Hecke will lead Brighton against Aston Villa!
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Pau Torres’ own goal gives Brighton a two-goal lead over Aston Villa!
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins scores a point against Brighton!
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Ollie Watkins’ brace brings Aston Villa level with Brighton!
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Aston Villa take the lead against Brighton, Amadou Onana scores the third goal!
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Donyell Malen features in Villa’s fourth game against Brighton!
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Too little, too late!? Jan Paul van Hecke scores a goal back against Brighton!
