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Key events
80 min Ach, what a waste. A high ball down the left is collected by the battling Enciso, he feeds Adingra … and that’s a tired cross. It felt like he didn’t have the puff to think about what to do so gambled, Olsen again collecting.
79 min A poor corner to the front post is only half-cleared and when Adingra’s clearance is blocked by Bailey, the ball squirts through to McGinn who finishes from six yards, but it looked offside and the flag goes up immediately.
78 min It’s headed clear and Digne brings the ball away, finding Watkins to carries forward and returns the favour, the eventuating cross to the back stick run behind for a corner by the covering Adingra.
77 min Adingra goes at Konsa on the outside, but from a standing start he doesn’t have the explosion that might get him by and has to make do with a corner.
75 min Already, Duran looks a good change, him and Watkins attacking the box gives Brighton a different problem to deal with, and immediately Webster has to wave head at a cross, under pressure from the sub. The result is a throw, hurled in by Cash, and Diego Carlos hooks a shot behind.
73 min Later than it might’ve come, a change for Villa: Duran replaces Diaby.
72 min Now under way: our coverage of Liverpool v Spurs – or, as some are calling it, the More Points Than They Should Have derby.
NO GOAL! Brighton 0-0 Aston Villa
The tech says offside, and I can’t wait till we’ve got this semi-automated.
70 min I think Gross’ foot is slightly ahead of Carlos’, but perhaps it isn’t. Looking again, I think it’s OK … but it’s not, he’s offside, by a fraction!
69 min But is Gross, on the line of the six-yard box, offside? I think he might be…
GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Aston Villa (Gross 68)
Adingra shoves wide to Pedro, he crosses low, and Gross opens body to glance in a finish from close range.
67 min AND THERE’S ENCISO! Adingra’s passing has been much better second half and he sweeps a glorious pass over the top for Enciso! He’s got his man one-on-one and dips inside, but just when w’ere waiting for a cunning Solskjær finish, whipped inside the near post through the defender’s legs, he opens body seeking a top-corner curler, sending it floating over the top.
65 min I’m a little surprised Emery hasn’t yet acted from the bench – despite his lack of options, what his side have shown so far isn’t good enough.
64 min Adingra pulls back the surging Cash and is booked.
63 min Good again from Brighton, Welbeck into Adingra, who slides Pedro in behind! He’s got Torres just behind, restricting the angle at which he can come in, but even so, Olsen does really well again to spread his colossal corporeality and block the shot. So far, he’s been the most important player on the pitch.
61 min Change for Brighton and it’s potentially a biggun, Enciso replacing Buonanotte. If he can find last season’s form, he can affect this game.
60 min The corner comes to nowt.
59 min Cash has given Villa greater thrust down the right, but they’re missing the craft of Tielemans – and Buendía – in midfield. But it’s now Brighton pushing, Adingra skating down the outside of Konsa and swinging in a gorgeous low cross, Torres turning it behind with Welbeck behind him.
58 min Little bit of pressure for Brighton, Igor ending the passage by passing in behind for no one. We might, at last, have ourselves a game … or we might not.
57 min Villa are improving and it’s Cash to the fore again, slapping a rasper just wide from distance. Brighton can feel the pressure building.
56 min “I’m not sure what you and your internauts were expecting from this “‘hriller’” says Jeeremy Boyce. “Neither team needs a big result here, unless it’s the Seagulls wanting to save their manager’s job. But actually he’s on fairly safe ground, after all, what/who are the alternatives ? I hear Graham Potter is looking for work… All that talk of the Liverpool (or some other big club) job may have unsettled them and him, they should stick rather than twist. As for Villa, they just need to bat out time (especially with the cricket season already underway) to secure the coveted fourth Champions League spot. After all, who is their only ‘threat’ ? Lads, it’s Spurs. Time for keeping your powder dry and only loading when you see the whites of their eyes.”
55 min Better from Villa, Cash driving forward and finding Diaby, who hits the line and cuts back … past everyone arriving. A look there, and he might’ve been able to find a telling ball.
53 min Villa are still lethargic, and don’t have loads on the bench to get themselves going. Jhon Duran, maybe, but that’s a punt at best; perhaps an extra man in midfield might give them some control?
51 min “Those of us West Ham fans who should ‘really be careful what we wish for’ are becoming a little perplexed that our defensively-minded pragmatic manager isn’t delivering on his end of the bargain,” grouses Brian Withington. “Still, just think how many goals we’d be conceding under a progressive manager who expects his team to play out from the back and control possession rather than sitting back in a passive low block. Oh.”
Yeah, I guess the Moyesiah’s time is up, but I don’t know if I grasp why it’s getting poisonous. He won a trophy and will bequeath a squad of quite some talent; if that’s not an acceptable legacy I don’t know what is.
50 min McGinn curls in the free-kick but Veltman falls over after Bailey blatantly glances at him, so we’ll go again; this time, Igor heads away.
49 min Watkins gets away down the left so Gross kicks him and is booked.
47 min “Villa fan here,” writes David Bertram. “Very poor first half and it’s starting to feel like a brilliant season might close a little disappointingly. Regarding links to Bayern, Emery’s just signed a new contract and been given his wish list of staff and facilities so for now I think he’s most likely going to stay. Having said that we’ve not really had any setbacks so far and villa fans aren’t known for their patience…”
Even Villa fans won’t hound Emery out, I’m sure, and I’m sure he’ll stay next season. I’m also sure that if they make the top four, there’ll be a climactic party – however they do it.
47 min Gross’ kick is headed clear by Diego Carlos but Brighton sustain the attack, Digne kicking Adingra’s cross away.
46 min Digne handles a cross and Brighton have a free-kick outside the right side of the box.
46 min We go again…
Chelsea now lead West Ham 4-0 and even I’m sorry Nic Jackson you’re not for real has scored.
Back come wa teams…
Half-time email: “Gave up on Brighton v Villa,” says Allan Castle, “in favour of Chelsea hosting West Ham, which has been good viewing. Pochettino has gotten a lot of stick this season, not least from some of the biggest pub bores in the Guardian’s comments section, but his job has been to put an arm around a lot of fragile egos and confused youngsters… and it’s starting to pay off. Chelsea looking like a team who are finally enjoying their football and playing as a team. As for West Ham, Bowen aside, the less said the better.”
It’s taken him longer than I thought it would, but as Smith and Gerrard found at Villa, having good players is one thing, arranging them into a coherent XI another. I also wonder if the absence of Enzo Fernandes has sped things up; it might be a coincidence, but Moisés Caicedo has certainly improved in his absence.
Half-time entertainment:
HALF-TIME: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Aston Villa
Let’s be real, that was pretty dry, but I’d expect better after half-time.
45+4 min HE’S DONE VERY WELL! Adingra lifts a terrific ball into the box and this time it’s measured to perfection, Gross timing his run to take it away from Olsen, who reacts superbly, springing off his back foot to spread himself and block a shot Gross thought would be turn into an empty net. He celebrates like he’s scored, and rightly so.
45+3 min Nice from Joao Pedro, making space outside by checking inside before flipping a fine cross to the back stick where Adingra, on the leap, looks to poke home, but Olsen is there to save. He’s not had loads to do, but what he’s done he’s done well.
45+1 min We’ll have five added minutes.
45 min Olsen’s up rubbing his shoulder, and Simon Kerchin emails: “If things carry on being super dull,” he begins, “Given the claim that football is a branch of moral philosophy, am I allowed to be the first to put in the obvious mention of Socrates? Looks like drinking hemlock would be preferable to watching Brighton v Villa.”
“The claim”? How dare you.
42 min Buonanotte wins the ball in midfield and finds Welbeck on the ball outside the box; he strokes a ball in behind for Adingra and Olsen flings himself at it, neither man conceding any quarter. The keeper does really well to smother it, but as he does, bodies mince on the slide, and there’s a pause while he’s treated.
41 min “I agree that an in-form Toney is probably a better option off the bench when chasing a game,” says Kári Tulinius, “but he’s not been on song since his ban ended. Also, Watkins is a fine header of the ball, which is useful. Mind you, Southgate rarely picks the best free-kick and corner takers available.”
I think Toney has played quite well since coming back – he was superb the last time I saw him over 90, against Man United – and though we can’t say who’ll hti form in June and July, the ban means he should be fresh.
40 min But now Brighton move it quickly outside the Villa box, finding Veltman down the right, and he cuts back what would’ve been a clever cross had Luiz not been there to kick clear.
38 min Villa are starting to dictate possession a little more, asserting themselves without actually doing much. It’s a start, but Brighton will relish any opportunity to counter.
37 min It’s not looking good for West Ham, now 3-0 down at Chelsea after Madueke heads home from a corner. David Moyes might well be on his bike this summer, with Julen Lopetegui strongly rumoured to be succeeding him.
35 min Villa look to have found some space going forward, Watkins finding Digne who lofts a fine return-pass forward and his first touch is excellent, taking him back inside, but he opts not to shoot and Brighton counter, Torres bodychecking Pedro just over halfway. He does well to avoid a booking.
33 min Villa just haven’t got going and it’s Brighton looking to create, Veltman crossing and Torres kicking away. We wondered if it might take Villa a while to run midweek out of their legs and system, and it certainly looks that way so far. Emery won’t be at all happy with what he’s seen so far.
32 min “Speaking of moral philosophy,” says Findlay Brown, here’s my ‘philosophical’ discussion about achievement in English football. I thought I’d chance my arm by sending it here because it’s not done much else for me so far!”
30 min Connor Gallagher has put Chelsea 2-0 up on West Ham. Has Mauricio Pochettino finally found the formula?
29 min So far, Watkins has touched the ball three times.
28 min There’s not loads going on here.
26 min “I think Brighton have gone backwards since the Europa League loss to Roma where De Zerbi perhaps underestimated the opponent in the first leg,” writes Rick Harris. “Villa look like they underestimated Olympiakos last week so their progress in the competition is hanging by a thread. Villa’s owners now need to back Emery in strengthening the squad to avoid doing a Newcastle next season.”
In fairness, Emery inherited a squad that was already lavishly appointed – the problem was Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard weren’t able to settle on a formation and XI. Villa already have the players and system to make a noise in the Champions League, but yup, if they invest they’ll have an even better chance of doing damage.
25 min Ach, Rogers cannae carry on; it doesn’t look like a proper tear or owt, more a tightness; Cash will come on, as soon as he’s ready.
23 min Rogers is down and looks like he might have a hamstring situation.
21 min And as I type, Adingra gets away down the left – he’s been the threat so far, taking advantage of a marker, Ezri Konsa, who’s really a centre-back. He flies down the flank, collects a pass into space, and crosses seeking Buonanotte, but Olsen intercepts easily enough.
21 min This has been a poor game so far, neither side seriously threatening.
20 min McGinn bravely looks to bring the ball out but Adingra is on to him; McGinn holds him off well enough to win the free-kick.
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