Match Report
The table read 1st (Brighton & Hove Albion, 3 pts) against 20th (Aston Villa, 0 pts), 3 points apart. Recent form flatters Aston Villa's table spot — 12th league-wide over the last five rounds while sitting 20th.
Brighton & Hove Albion came in having won four on the spin. Defeat had followed defeat for Aston Villa — three in succession, having scored in 13 consecutive games. The last-five ledger: Brighton & Hove Albion 12/15, Aston Villa 3/15.
The head-to-head ledger counts 18 games: 2 Brighton & Hove Albion wins, 11 for Aston Villa, 5 draws, at 3 goals per meeting. Home advantage has meant little here: 39% of the meetings went to the host. Goals at both ends are the pattern: both teams scored in 67% of the meetings.
Goal scorers
Brighton & Hove Albion: Victor Lindelöf (8'), Maxim De Cuyper (18'), Jack Hinshelwood (30'), Jack Hinshelwood (31')
Key stats
Possession: Brighton & Hove Albion 73% · Aston Villa 27% · Total shots: 21-6 · On target: 6-0 · Corners: 5-2