Birmingham, Feb 12 (.) Aston Villa strengthened their hold on third place in the Premier League with a narrow 1-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, courtesy of a late own goal from Jack Hinshelwood at Villa Park, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
The decisive moment came in the 86th minute when Tyrone Mings met Leon Bailey’s corner with a glancing header that deflected off Hinshelwood and past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, as per the Premier League.
The result overshadowed a landmark occasion for Brighton midfielder James Milner, who made his 653rd Premier League appearance to equal Gareth Barry’s all-time record. The 40-year-old came on in the 22nd minute, replacing Carlos Baleba, who had been booked early in the contest.
Chances were limited in a cagey first half, with Villa going closest when Emiliano Buendia’s effort from the edge of the area drifted wide after a slight deflection off Joel Veltman.
Brighton improved after the interval and looked the more threatening side for long periods. Kaoru Mitoma curled an attempt narrowly wide, while Emiliano Martinez produced an excellent save to tip Ferdi Kadioglu’s dipping long-range strike onto the crossbar.
Hinshelwood was fired over following a swift counter-attack midway through the second half, and Milner tested Martinez from a tight angle as Brighton pressed for a breakthrough.
However, Villa capitalised on a late set-piece to snatch the points, tightening their grip on third place and moving five points clear of Manchester United.
The defeat continues Brighton’s difficult run of form, with the Seagulls now registering just one win in their last 13 league matches to remain 14th in the table.
. VAN ARN