Aston Villa missed out on a chance to climb the table as they shared a point with Brighton in a thriller at Villa Park.
Brighton, now on a seven-match Premier League winless streak, took the lead from the top when Simon Adingra fired a long shot past the Villa defense.
Ollie Watkins equalized from the penalty spot and England team-mate Morgan Rodger scored a fine goal for Villa.
⚽️ Rogers 🅰️ Watkins pic.twitter.com/DKLSKdBRYz
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 30 2024
But Brighton held on and right-back Tariq Lamptey fired home with a lovely low strike to ensure the Seagulls headed home.
Villa is in 9th place, 3 points behind Newcastle in 5th place. Brighton are 10th, two points worse off.
Brighton have dropped 18 points from the winning spots this season, but Adingra's finish was outstanding when Ezri Konsa pounced on Joao Pedro's long ball.
Villa thought they should have had a penalty when Jan Paul van Hecke tripped Rodgers, but Rodgers only leveled from the corner.
Watkins made no mistake due to Jhon Duran's suspension.
Villa were on top at this stage and Roger's finish past Watkins was excellent.
But Brighton played well and Lamptey's low shot equalized.