Matt Targett hit the spot for Aston Villa just when it seemed their afternoon would end in frustration. The defender claimed victory for his team in stoppage time after Villa had spent more than 45 minutes struggling to find openings against 10 men, Aaron Mooy having been dismissed for Brighton in the first half. Until that red card Brighton had been dominant, with Adam Webster heading them in front. Jack Grealish equalised after Mooy’s departure and, despite being fended off ably by Brighton for most of the remainder of the game, Dean Smith’s team never stopped seeking victory. Targett secured it in the dying seconds.
An experimental Villa won 3-1 at the Amex in the Carabao Cup less than a month ago but the Brighton team that turned up here was nothing like the one they faced that day, with Aaron Connolly the only player to start both matches. Nor is this Brighton side anything like the one that trudged to
Premier League survival under Chris Hughton last season; they have been transformed since then by Graham Potter, who came into this game promising that his team could perform even better than they did when thrashing
Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago. His team were intent on proving him right.