Brighton & Hove Albion 3-4 Aston Villa: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

The game burst into life early with Jan Paul van Hecke’s 9th-minute goal for Brighton, but Pau Torres’ own goal in the 29th handed them a 2-0 lead. Villa turned it around before half-time through Ollie Watkins’ brace in the 37th and 45+7th minutes, shifting momentum decisively. After the break, Amadou Onana’s 60th-minute strike put Villa ahead, and Donyell Malen’s goal in the 78th, just a minute after substituting for John McGinn, seemed to seal it, though van Hecke’s 83rd-minute effort made for a tense finish; yellow cards were shown to Bart Verbruggen for time-wasting in the 45+9th, Diego Gómez for a foul in the 85th, John McGinn for dissent in the 75th, and Marco Bizot late on in the 90+5th.

Brighton & Hove Albion lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jan Paul van Hecke proving a key figure at the back by scoring twice, while Mats Wieffer and Jack Hinshelwood provided assists in midfield partnerships that helped build attacks. Carlos Baleba started in the engine room before making way for Joël Veltman at 78 minutes, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu was replaced by Danny Welbeck at 67 minutes to add experience up front.

Aston Villa deployed a 4-2-3-1 shape, relying on Ollie Watkins as the focal point in attack where he netted twice, supported by assists from Evann Guessand and Morgan Rogers in creative roles. Amadou Onana anchored midfield and scored, while substitutions like Donyell Malen for John McGinn at 77 minutes brought fresh legs and a goal, and Matty Cash set up Onana effectively from the right.

Ladbrokes’ Man of the Match goes to Ollie Watkins for his clinical finishing, bagging two goals that turned the game around for Aston Villa. He also created one big chance and delivered two key passes, showcasing his all-round threat in attack.

Recent Premier League matches:

• Loss: 3-4 vs Aston Villa (H)
• Win: 2-0 vs Nottingham Forest (A)
• Win: 2-1 vs Brentford (H)
• Draw: 0-0 vs Crystal Palace (A)
• Win: 3-0 vs Leeds United (H)

Recent Premier League matches:

• Win: 4-3 vs Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
• Win: 1-0 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
• Win: 2-1 vs Leeds United (A)
• Win: 4-0 vs AFC Bournemouth (H)
• Loss: 0-2 vs Liverpool (A)

Brighton & Hove Albion have just suffered a 3-4 home defeat to Aston Villa, ending a solid run that included wins over Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Leeds United, plus a draw with Crystal Palace. Sitting seventh on 22 points, they face West Ham United next on 7 December at 14:00, with the opposition languishing in 18th on 11 points – a win could help Brighton push for European spots while easing any mid-table concerns.

Aston Villa have just claimed a 4-3 away win over Brighton & Hove Albion, building on a strong streak of victories against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth, despite an earlier loss to Liverpool. Currently third on 27 points, they host league leaders Arsenal, who are first on 33 points, on 6 December at 12:30 – this clash offers a chance to close the gap at the top and solidify their title challenge.

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Odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.