Aston Villa

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

It was perhaps no surprise that this ended up being a highly entertaining encounter between two sides flying high at the moment.

Either side could have ended the day third in the table with a win, depending on results elsewhere.

That factor provided a big incentive to push for the three points, and it was exactly what they both did.

Since a rocky start to the season, in which they failed to win any of their first six games, Villa have been in sensational form and have won 12 and lost just two of their latest 14 matches.

Watkins has struggled to play his usually prolific part in that run, having scored just one goal all season heading into Wednesday's game, but Unai Emery's decision to stick by him paid off with his double in this game that turned the tide in Villa's favour.

Encouragingly they were both good goals too, Ollie Watkins showing a striker's natural instinct to slide in and finish for the opener and then clinically picking his spot for the second after racing away from Brighton's defence.

With another goal for Donyell Malen - his sixth in as many games in all competitions - Villa are looking strong in attack and worthy contenders to finish in the top four this season.

Unai Emery spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Aston Villa's victory against Brighton: "A very tough match. How we started and reacted is more like the season. The players reacted and continued with our game plan to never give up. We kept the mentality and the resilience, really fantastic.

"Our first three matches were much worse. The first goal was not a corner, I think. We conceded and then we were expecting a lot in the

"We reacted to scoring one goal and we started the game plan and they followed it. We are so thankful for the supporters. 4000 of them with us here from Birmingham.

On Ollie Watkins: "Keep going. He needs those goals, he needs calm. He needs to keep going and get balance and he got it.

"Marco is a very, very good goalkeeper. he is always ready to play like today. Martinez was not ready to play and had some pain in his back. Marco is ready and he saved us with one good save in the 90th minute.

"The table is very important for us. We know how difficult it is. We needed to work hard and perform. We will play on Saturday against Arsenal at home. The teams behind us are going to push a lot. Be humble because we know how difficult it is to face teams in the Premier League."

Did you know?

Tonight's victory for Aston Villa was Unai Emery's 62nd in the Premier League with the Villans, the most of any manager across the club's history in the competition – overtaking John Gregory and Martin O'Neill (both 61).

Listen to Emery's chat with BBC Radio WM on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa’s display?

Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies

Brighton make three changes as Stefanos Tzimas, Carlos Baleba and Brajan Gruda all come into the side.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, De Cuyper; Gruda, Baleba, Gomez; Minteh, Tzimas, Kadioglu.

Subs: Steele, Hinshelwood, Welbeck, Kostoulas, Boscagli, Veltman, Coppola, Knight, Oriola

Ollie Watkins starts for Aston Villa, with Ian Maatsen, Amadou Onana and Evann Guessand also coming into the first XI.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Kamara, Onana, McGinn, Rogers, Guessand, Watkins.

Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Digne, Garcia, Bogarde, Tielemans, Buendia, Malen, Sancho.

There are six games in the Premier League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Arsenal v Brentford

• Brighton v Aston Villa

• Burnley v Crystal Palace

• Wolves v Nottingham Forest

• Leeds v Chelsea (20:15)

• Liverpool v Sunderland (20:15)

Kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Two Decembers ago, Aston Villa beat Manchester City and Arsenal at home in the same week, and for a few thrilling days it felt like Villa really were in the title race with them.

On the Friday before Christmas, with a chance to go top, Villa were confounded by a stubborn Sheffield United side and the fever passed.

Last Sunday, Villa did not look anything special for long spells against Wolves.

The visitors showed the benefit of a full week with their new head coach, his organisation fresh in their minds.

But Villa found a way to win, and afterwards Unai Emery drew a relevant comparison.

"When we finished the first half in the dressing room we spoke about how the match was going," he said. "Our experience here, for example last year against Ipswich Town, we draw here. Two years ago against Sheffield [United], we draw here…"

Like Sunday, both were games Villa were expected to win easily. The win over Wolves was hardly comfortable, and owed quite a lot to Emi Martinez, but Villa figured it out.

"The second half," Emery continued. "I think we started strong. Pushing them, dominating better, getting in the box better than the first half. Not so clear chances, but we were there and we scored one goal and after it of course the match changed."

Villa have reached fourth place after giving the field a month's head start, and it still feels that they haven't quite played to their potential.

This is the point where I think I am meant to remind you of the hot statistic of the week – the one about Villa scoring more often outside the box than in it – although I enjoyed reading it being artfully debunked by David Michael on this page this week.

The point is that the 2025 edition of Villa are winning games on the way to finding their best form. Those who ask whether their long-range method can be sustained should also ask how dangerous Villa might be if they fix the short-range chance problem first.

The difficulty of tonight's game against Brighton should not be underestimated.

But Villa have won twice in three visits under Emery, and if they do so again they will be a maximum of six points behind when they face the leaders Arsenal on Saturday.

Villa and Emery would rightly play down this thought, but if you are within six of the leaders when they come to your fortified home ground, then for 90 minutes at least, you are legitimately in the title race.

Listen to full commentary of Brighton v Villa at 19:30 on Wednesday on BBC Radio WM (95.6FM)]

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

Two of the Premier League's in-form teams meet on the south coast on Wednesday. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes.

Brighton's home comforts

Brighton and Hove Albion are vying to register a club record fourth successive top-flight home win in a row, and they are unbeaten in 10 Premier League matches at Amex Stadium since a 3-0 defeat against Aston Villa eight months ago.

Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler bemoaned his side's failure to implement their usual high-pressing game during that fixture, with his players looking jaded in the wake of an FA Cup quarter-final exit on penalties to Nottingham Forest four days earlier.

This time around, they face Villa off the back of an impressive away league victory at Forest, which secured 10 points from four games in November. Only Chelsea matched that.

Brighton's high press has served them well this season – they've won possession within 40 metres of their opponent's goal more than any other side, and this has translated to an unrivalled number of shots and two goals.

"I see a team that sticks together, a team that's working hard, a team that's getting an understanding more and more for each other," said Hurzeler after Sunday's win at Nottingham Forest.

Defining month for Villa?

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have moved from 18th place to fourth by winning seven of their past eight league matches. They have earned the most points in the division over that time, with only Manchester City scoring more and just Arsenal conceding fewer.

Nonetheless, their credentials will be severely tested in December. In addition to this testing trip to Brighton, they face Arsenal twice, Chelsea and Manchester United before the end of the year.

Villa have had to think outside the box since failing to win any of their opening five league games this season – and only scoring one goal during that period. Nine of their 16 top-flight goals have been scored from outside the penalty area - no other team in Premier League history has scored such a high percentage of goals from range in a season.

While it has led to spectacular moments, Villa's reliance on long-range shots is indicative of the fact they are yet to fully find their attacking fluency this season. Unai Emery, whose next Premier League victory will be a record 62nd for a Villa manager, has challenged his side to improve their goal output:

"We lost [out on] Champions League [qualification last season] through goal difference," he said.

"We are, in our demands, trying to identify where we played weak, even when we are winning. We are not scoring a lot of goals. We want to score goals and get numbers."

Freya Sweet
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa last visited the Amex Stadium in April, when Unai Emery's side took all three points with a convincing 3-0 win.

Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, both on loan to Villa at the time, managed to get on the scoresheet with Asensio bagging himself an assist too. However, this time round all eyes will be on the final goalscorer on that day - Donyell Malen - and England attacker Morgan Rogers, who assisted two of the three goals.

Due to Ollie Watkins' goal drought, Unai Emery recently opted to switch things up, starting Malen in Villa's past two matches. Having scored two in two, the attacker will want to keep adding to his goal tally.

Last time Brighton hosted the Midlands side, Villa showed confidence, creativity and class. With their current run of form, the same quality will be expected and so will Brighton's hope to rewrite the narrative at their home ground.

After all, that game was the last time Brighton lost on home turf.

The teams currently sit only two points apart in the table and a win for Villa would help strengthen the gap and their goal difference, which is currently the weakest out of the top-four teams.

If third-placed Chelsea do not take all three points at Elland Road against Leeds United, a win could see Villa take their position in table.

Villa are playing well right now but this is a tough trip for them and with their heavy schedule it might be a game too far.

Brighton are in great form too, especially at home. Their boss Fabian Hurzeler has done a great job there.

The Seagulls have got plenty of firepower and a strong squad so, on that basis, I am going to back them.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say

David Michael
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

A convenient narrative has taken hold: Aston Villa are supposedly riding their luck in the top four.

It is a line pushed by big-name pundits who, if we are honest, are not watching 90 minutes of Villa every week. They are leaning on top-line data handed to them by production teams and assuming it tells the full story.

Their argument rests on two stats. Villa have scored nine of their 16 Premier League goals from outside the box and their expected goals (xG) sits at 11.9, 19th in the division. The perceived logic is that Villa are leaning on improbable long-range strikes that cannot possibly continue.

That reading collapses once you look at the goals rather than the spreadsheet.

Most are anything but speculative. Aside from Matty Cash's audacious 30-yarder at Sunderland, Villa's long-range efforts come by design, from Unai Emery's side working the ball, stretching opponents and punishing deep blocks by creating clean sightlines on the edge of the box.

Two of the nine goals came from direct free-kicks straight off the training ground. These are more rehearsed patterns than coin flips.

John McGinn shifting the ball and curling inside the far post is standard McGinn. Amadou Onana drilling low from 20 yards against Bournemouth was a carbon copy of his strike against Young Boys last season and exactly what you expect from a £50m midfielder.

With Ollie Watkins currently goal shy, the wider spread of goals has been welcome. Villa are not defying probability. Having previously been criticised for overplaying, they are now fully utilising a midfield stacked with players such as Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Boubacar Kamara and Emi Buendia who have the technique to strike from range.

In terms of punditry concerns of sustainability, Villa also have a back-up plan to cover it, because surely their top Premier League scorer can't go on not scoring?

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Brighton at Amex Stadium (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Defender Tyrone Mings will be out for a few more weeks yet, while midfielder Ross Barkley is set to miss up to 12 weeks, which Emery described as "a pity".

• On facing Brighton, who sit behind Villa in fifth: "They are two points behind us. How they are performing at home, how they are getting points at home - it isn't easy to win there. Wow, what a match [it is going to be]. They are playing and performing fantastic."

• Emery said Villa's consistency "will be tested" on Wednesday against the Seagulls and then they can start to assess what reasonable expectations are for this season.

• On picking up their form: "We started so poor but now we are good. How we are responding is really fantastic."

• In response to whether Donyell Malen is now his first-choice forward ahead of Ollie Watkins: "They are two very good players and I am playing both. Watkins has my complete confidence. He is always doing his task, maybe he is feeling under his normal [levels of] confidence because he is not scoring but he is never giving up on his task. The goals are coming."

• He went on to say he is "so, so happy" for Malen because he "is giving us what we need tactically and of course, scoring".

• Asked about Villa scoring goals regularly from outside the penalty area: "We are doing fantastic, but of course, we have a lot of things to improve. One is different ways to score goals. You need them from strikers, wingers, midfielders and centre-backs. We need players to score in different ways."

Hear more from Emery on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Unai Emery will always play down Aston Villa's chances but he will be faced with title race questions soon enough.

Villa will be three points behind leaders Arsenal if they beat Brighton on Wednesday and the Gunners lose at home to Brentford.

They welcome Mikel Arteta's pacesetters to Villa Park on Saturday and, while Emery will want to ignore them, the questions about their involvement in the title race will come, even if they seem fanciful.

They are entirely fair though, given Villa are a third of the way through the season, have won seven of their past eight Premier League matches and sit fourth.

Defender Ezri Konsa dismissed any talk after Sunday's 1-0 win over Wolves, saying: "I won't speak about the title. I don't think we are [dark horses]."

It signifies the focus within the squad and the caution used given the chasing pack.

Wednesday's hosts Brighton are two points behind in fifth and just five points separate third to 11th in the table.

Villa are fourth without seriously finding top gear - Opta's expected table have them second bottom - so if they do finally hit their straps, Emery, who faces the media on Tuesday afternoon, will not be able to avoid the questions he loves to deflect.

Come back to this page later on Tuesday for all the key lines from Emery