Aston Villa equalled an unwanted record under Unai Emery during their 1-0 defeat to Brighton on Sunday afternoon, in what was a lacklustre game for the visitors.
After the highs of beating Arsenal and reaching the semi-final of the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa have suffered a week of lows with defeats to Olympiacos and Brighton.
The Villans were shocked at home to the Greek side on Thursday evening, losing 4-2, only to be beaten again on Sunday afternoon at the Amex, as Roberto De Zerbi’s side took all three points with a 1-0 win.
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It wasn’t the week that Unai Emery would have hoped for in the run-in however, it’s not all over with the second leg of the Conference League semi-final to play and Champions League qualification still in touching distance.
While the result against Brighton was disappointing, it was somewhat expected based on the lack of intensity that Villa showed throughout the 90 minutes, seeing them equal a very unwanted record.
Aston Villa equalled an unwanted record under Unai Emery against Brighton
By recording just a single shot in the first half at the Amex, Villa matched their record of the fewest number of shots in the opening half of a Premier League game.
It’s been over a year since Emery’s side recorded such a low number of shots on goal in the first half, with the last time the squad registered a single shot being back in January 2023.
That fixture ended in a win for the Villans, who beat Leeds United 2-1 on that occasion, where Leon Bailey’s single shot in the first half ironically counted for a goal in the third minute.
Sunday afternoon’s fixture was a contrast, as it never looked as though Villa were even close to being able to score, seeing Brighton’s 87th-minute winner come as no surprise.
Aston Villa were shy in front of goal against Brighton
It seemed as though there could have been two takes on how the game would be played prior to kick-off, would Villa look exhausted, or would they be fired up after their abysmal defeat to Olympiacos in midweek?
Unfortunately, the answer was exhaustion as the second half proved to be no better than the first, seeing the visitors end the game having only recorded two shots, with just one being on target.
The Villans recorded a dreary 0.06 expected goal (xG) tally, telling of how static Emery’s side was in the final third on an occasion where a win could have all but secured the squad Champions League qualification.
It’s clear that the Midlands club are fatigued from their recent minutes in both the Premier League and the Europa Conference League however, with so much still to play for, there is no time to slow the intensity.
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