Late Brighton’s penalty dents Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes

Brighton struggled to a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, with Joao Pedro’s late penalty denying Villa a shot at Champions League qualification.

The match was a clear battle between Brighton’s Simon Adingra and Villa’s stand-in goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who filled in admirably for the injured Emi Martinez.

Adingra played a crucial role for Brighton throughout the game, and succeeded in winning the decisive penalty in the 87th minute after being fouled by Ezri Konsa.

Although Olsen initially saved the penalty, Pedro capitalized on the rebound to secure his 20th goal of the season.

Despite Martinez’s absence, Olsen’s stellar performance kept Villa in contention, with a series of crucial saves maintaining a respectable scoreline.

However, Brighton kept knocking, and fought their way through for all three points.