A PHYSICAL encounter was played out at Villa Park on Wednesday night as the visitors Brighton arrived from the south coast looking for their first win in five games, while Aston Villa were looking to try and arrest their recent slump in order to keep any faint hopes alive of still being considered as title contenders.

But it was the Villa faithful who left Villa Park with a spring in their step as they were able to claim their first three points in three games with a scrappy 1-0 win courtesy of a Jack Hinshelwood own goal.

 

“Those three points were very very important as we also needed to recover our confidence,” stated a relieved Villa boss Unai Emery following the game.

The game started off at quite a pace with the home side enjoying large periods of possession in the Brighton half during the opening encounters, without actually threatening the Brighton goal.

 

A Sancho cross which was deflected high and at Bart Verbruggen’s near post in the ninth minute was the first time the Brighton keeper was called into action, turning it around the post for a corner, even though the ball may have just been going wide.

 

In the 14th minute, Ollie Watkins was rising highest to meet an Ian Maatsen cross from 16 yards out, but his tame header was wide of the mark, before a Morgan Rogers shot from an acute angle 5 minutes later, required the broad chest of the Brighton keeper to prevent the home side taking the lead.

 

Brighton’s only real effort of note in the first half came in injury time when Danny Welbeck pounced upon a loose ball following some overplaying by Villa at the back. The Brighton striker got his shot off early from the edge of the box, but it was straight down the throat of Emi Martinez.

 

Fabian Hurzeler’s men did come out in the second half with more intent and the increase in tempo almost brought great reward.

 

Ten minutes after the restart, a Ferdi Kodioglu dipping shot from the edge of the area was heading towards the top left hand corner of Emi Martinez’s goal before the big Argentine got the faintest of fingertips to the shot, tipping it onto the crossbar with the ball bouncing away to safety.

 

Despite the home side being under the cosh in the latter stages of the second half, a Villa counter attack late on ended with a penalty appeal being turned down following a push on Villa substitute Tammy Abraham by Brighton substitute Olivier Boscagli before the defender had cleared the ball for a corner.

 

From the resulting corner, Tyrone Mings, making his 200th appearance for the club, rose to flick a Leon Bailey corner towards the Brighton goal and past Verbruggen to give the home side the lead.
 

The big defender wheeled away to celebrate the goal but replays showed despite a glancing header from the Villa defender,  there was a heavy deflection off the back of Hinshelwood which redirected the ball goalwards and past Verbruggen for an own goal.

 

“In a game like this, the first goal usually wins the game,” rued Brighton manager Hurzeler after his team’s loss.

 

He went on to say “We definitely deserved more from the game.”

 

James Milner also made it onto the pitch as a first half substitute to become the joint highest Premier League appearance maker alongside Gareth Barry for his 653rd appearance.