Brighton vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result and final score after late Joao Pedro winner

While Villa are now having much more of the ball and look likeliest to open the scoring, Brighton are defending in a compact shape and keeping their visitors at arm's length.

CLOSE! From Aston Villa's first corner-kick of the game, Dunk rises highest to head the ball partly clear, before Cash picks up the loose ball and sends a powerful attempt scudding wide of the right-hand post from 20 yards out! This is better from the Birmingham club!

Cash and Diaby combine on the right side of Brighton's box, but the latter's low cross lacks precision and is cleared away to safety. Nonetheless, the intensity of this low-key contest is now stepping up a notch.

Joao Pedro and Welbeck both narrowly fail to break through Villa's back line, before Gilmour dives in with a tackle on Bailey, gifting the visitors a pressure-relieving free-kick.

Though they've started to leak more goals of late, Aston Villa have lost only two of their last 11 away games. Unai Emery's side are far from their brilliant best today, but they're still very much in this one.

Yellow Card Pascal Groß

Following a handball by Digne, Gross sends over a curling free-kick from the right, but Diego Carlos jumps forcefully to head it away from near the penalty spot.

Brighton kick off, and we are back under way at the Amex!

Although Aston Villa attempted just one shot during the first half - their lowest tally in the opening 45 minutes of any Premier League match since January 2023 - they have now stopped their opponents from scoring a first-half goal in 23 of 36 league games this season. Only title-chasing Arsenal (25) have done so more often. Can they go on to keep a more scarce clean sheet, though?

Two teams that suffered chastening defeats last time out have put on a tepid first-half performance at Brighton's Amex Stadium, as Aston Villa hold their hosts goalless at the break. Aside from the visitors' back-up goalkeeper Olsen making a couple of important saves, chances to find the net have been few and far between, as the Seagulls' scoring drought goes on. While Brighton have edged things in terms of possession, their xG stands at 0.92 to Villa's meagre 0.04, so they may feel like they should be in front heading into the second half. As a spectacle, it can surely only get better after the interval; after all, an Aston Villa victory would see them confirm Champions League football if Tottenham lose later today, so will they may be tired from Thursday's game, motivation should not be a factor.