VARy Close For Villa But Another Disappointing Defeat – Match Stats

With pointless international games once again taking the limelight the last few weeks, Aston Villa were finally back in action earlier today as we welcomed Brighton and Hove Albion to Villa Park.

Hopes were high for another positive result given our overall start to the 2021 Premier League campaign, and although Brighton weren’t going to be pushovers, it was a game on paper that we should win.

So typically, we didn’t and instead handed Brighton their first ever win at VP.

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring 12 minutes into the game and despite our best efforts, we went in behind at the break. We were arguably totally on top in reality, dominating good portions of the game but a lack of clinical finishing ultimately cost us.

Ezri Konsa had us back on level terms two minutes after the restart, but within ten they were back in front.

As the game came to a close they were reduced to ten men and we even won a penalty – until VAR confounded everyone by encouraging Michael Oliver to change his mind.

Positives and negatives again and the more optimistic will take the positives of how hard we tried to get back into it at the death, with our heads not falling, but plenty of others will be trying to work out how we didn’t score four or five given the chances we had.

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Aston Villa				Brighton
Konsa (47)				Welbeck (12), March (56)
Martinez				Ryan
Cash				White
Konsa				Dunk
Mings				Webster
Targett				Lamptey
Douglas Luiz			75	Bissouma
McGinn				Gross			96
Trezeguet				March
Barkley			5	Lallana			45
Grealish				Welbeck
Watkins				Maupay			80
Substitutes
Taylor				Connolly
Steer				Jahanbakhsh
Hourihane			75	Alzate
Traore			5/74	Steele
Nakamba				Burn			80
El Ghazi			74	Veltman			45
Elmohamady				Molumby			96

Game Statistics
15	Goal attempts	7
4	On Target	3
12	Corners	3
5	Fouls	18
2	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	1
55	%	45