Aston Villa snatch late victory as Brighton & Hove Albion spoil James Milner milestone night

Aston Villa edged out Brighton & Hove Albion with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Villa Park, courtesy of a late own goal that overshadowed James Milner’s historic evening in the Premier League, Sport360NG reports.

Milner, 40, came off the bench in the 22nd minute to make his 653rd top-flight appearance, equalling the long-standing record set by Gareth Barry. The veteran midfielder was introduced in place of Carlos Baleba, with Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler later confirming the substitution was precautionary to protect the Cameroonian from a potential second booking.

Despite the landmark moment, the contest was ultimately decided four minutes from time when Tyrone Mings’ effort deflected off Jack Hinshelwood and into the net, handing Villa a scarcely deserved three points.

Hurzeler paid glowing tribute to Milner after the match, describing him as a role model whose professionalism and discipline continue to set the standard. “It’s no coincidence he proves every day he is capable of playing in this league,” Hurzeler said. “We are grateful to have him, not just as a player but as a character.”

Villa Capitalise Despite Flat Display

Unai Emery’s side struggled to assert control for long spells, particularly in the second half when Brighton dominated possession and carved out the clearer openings. Emiliano Martinez was instrumental for the hosts, producing a fine fingertip save to push Ferdi Kadioglu’s strike onto the crossbar before later denying Milner from range.

Villa, who had lost their previous two home league fixtures to Everton and Brentford, appeared short of fluency. Regular attacking threats Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins were largely subdued, and the overall performance lacked the sharpness seen in last month’s composed win at Newcastle.

Nevertheless, the result keeps Villa third in the table and strengthens their position in the race for Champions League qualification, extending their advantage over Manchester United and Chelsea.

“We needed to win,” Emery said. “After losing two matches, we had to recover confidence. Today we reached 50 points and that is fantastic. Sometimes you don’t play well but you win — that is football.”

Brighton Left to Rue Missed Opportunities

For Brighton, the defeat was another setback in a troubling run of form. The Seagulls have now managed just one victory in their past 13 Premier League outings, a sequence that has seen them slide from fifth place at the end of November to 14th.

Hurzeler’s side were competitive and organised, and at times the better team. However, their failure to convert key chances once again proved costly.

“In these moments we have to be more ruthless,” Hurzeler admitted. “In games like this, the team that scores first usually wins. Unfortunately, the goal came from a set-piece and out of nowhere.”

Brighton have been undone by narrow margins in recent weeks, suffering a series of single-goal defeats. Had Martinez not intervened to deny Kadioglu, the narrative might have been very different.

While frustration is mounting among sections of the support, Hurzeler retains considerable credit following last season’s eighth-place finish and a promising start to the current campaign. On another evening, Brighton would have left Villa Park with at least a point.

Instead, Villa found a way — scrappily, decisively — to claim three valuable points, leaving Brighton to ponder yet another fine-margin loss.