Brighton 0-3 Aston Villa: Rashford on target as Villans cruise past Seagulls
Marcus Rashford netted his first Premier League goal for Aston Villa in a dominant 3-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, propelling Villa above their opponents in the league standings. The win moves Villa to seventh place with 48 points, one behind Chelsea, while Brighton drops to eighth.
With the title race and relegation largely settled, the battle for European qualification remains intense. Playing their first league match since March 8, Villa took a significant step toward securing Champions League football.
"We knew this was an important game for us, it was must win," Villa defender Ezri Konsa told Sky Sports. "We came to win and that's what we did. The Champions League is the main goal."
Villa’s recent form has been impressive, having reached the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals. Rashford, currently on loan from Manchester United, continued his resurgence after scoring twice in Sunday’s 3-0 FA Cup victory over Preston North End.
The first half saw chances for both sides, with Konsa’s header nearly catching out Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen, while Yasin Ayari struck the post with a free kick. Villa also felt they deserved a penalty when Jack Hinshelwood appeared to foul Jacob Ramsey, but VAR ruled against them.
Rashford broke the deadlock six minutes after halftime, calmly finishing from outside the box after a long pass from Morgan Rogers.
"He's got a smile on his face again. He looks like he's enjoying football again," Konsa added.
Brighton thought they had equalized, but Simon Adingra’s goal was disallowed due to a handball by Kaoru Mitoma in the buildup.
"After the goal for them, the game changed," Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler told Sky Sports. "We weren't able to create any more chances."
Villa sealed the win with late goals from substitutes Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen. Asensio, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, slotted home from a low cross by Rogers before Malen fired into the far corner in stoppage time, securing an emphatic victory and ending Brighton’s five-match unbeaten league run.
SportsLigue