A late Villa goal denied Brighton Albion the three points that would have seen them crowned Championship. Brighton only needed three points from their remaining three games to claim some silverware, but they only managed to pick up a solitary draw and, as a result, the trophy was lifted at St. James’ Park.
From the very first whistle, it was clear that Villa were not going to roll over and let Brighton walk away with the league trophy. In fact, Villa had the better of the opportunities throughout the match and Brighton really couldn’t have complained if they had left Villa Park with no points.
Lansbury had a glorious opportunity to give Villa the lead in the first-half, when he found himself alone in the 6 yard box with goal gaping; however, he, to the relief of the Brighton fans and players, somehow managed to send his header wide. Stockdale also made a couple of fine saves to keep Brighton in the hunt for the trophy.
The deadlock was broken in the 64th minute when Baker, after same poor control, gave away a penalty and was subsequently sent off after he was deemed to have tripped Baldock in the box. Murray, with a lot of pressure on his shoulders, slotted the penalty home to send Brighton fans into a frenzy.
With just minutes remaining, and the score still 1-0, it looked like Brighton would see themselves crowned Champions, but Grealish, who came on as a sub in the 61st minute had other plans. In the 89th minute, he unleashed a well-struck shot from just outside the box that Stockdale, who should have done better, let slip through him.
Brighton players were dejected, and the party had already started on Tyneside.
Here’s our player ratings for today’s match:
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