Aston Villa missed the chance to climb the table as they had to share the points with Brighton in a thrilling match at Villa Park.
Brighton – who have now gone seven Premier League matches without a win – took the lead when a long ball over the top pushed Villa’s defense back and Simon Adingra was able to crash over.
Ollie Watkins equalized from the penalty spot, then set up England team-mate Morgan Rogers for a fine goal as Villa took control.
⚽️ Rogers 🅰️ Watkins pic.twitter.com/DKLSKdBRYz
– Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 30, 2024
But Brighton held on and right-back Tariq Lamptey fired in a lovely low strike to ensure the Seagulls went home with a point.
Villa finish the year ninth, three points behind fifth-placed Newcastle, while Brighton are 10th, two points behind.
Brighton fell 18 points short of winning this season but got off to a good start when Ezri Konsa was beaten to a long ball by Joao Pedro and Adingra’s finish was outstanding.
Brighton responded late to ensure the points were shared 🤝#AVLBHA pic.twitter.com/CYBBB7AY8X
–Premierleague (@premierleague) December 30, 2024
Villa thought they should have had a penalty when Rogers was tripped by Jan Paul van Hecke, but then got one when Rogers went down after a corner.
Watkins, returning to the team on his 29th birthday due to Jhon Duran’s suspension, made no mistake.
Villa were well ahead at this point and Rogers’ finish after picking up a pass from Watkins was superb.
But Brighton recovered well and Lamptey’s low shot earned the match a draw.
