Aston Villa produced one of the comebacks of the season, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat Brighton 4–3 in a wild, breathless contest at the Amex that fired Unai Emery’s side up to third in the Premier League and extended their winning streak in all competitions to six games.
What began as a nightmare for Villa — with errors, deflections and defensive chaos — ended with jubilation, history for Emery, and the revival of Ollie Watkins, whose long-awaited brace drove Villa back into the match before Amadou Onana and Donyell Malen completed a remarkable turnaround.
Brighton, unbeaten at home until tonight and cheered on by a raucous crowd, nearly mounted a late miracle of their own, but Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot redeemed his early blunder with a heroic stoppage-time save to deny Danny Welbeck and seal an unforgettable victory.
Villa’s evening could not have started worse.
With Emiliano Martínez ruled out late, Dutch keeper Marco Bizot stepped in — and within minutes found himself at the centre of disaster. A misjudged attempt to claim a routine cross spilled loose inside the six-yard box, allowing Jan Paul van Hecke to stab Brighton into an early lead. Things deteriorated even further when Pau Torres, under pressure and facing his own goal, inadvertently turned the ball past Bizot to make it 2–0 after 29 minutes. Brighton’s energy was relentless. Villa’s composure evaporated. Fabian Hürzeler’s side looked on course for a comfortable, statement home victory.
Then, everything flipped.
Ollie Watkins had gone 11 matches without a goal, his longest dry spell under Emery. But the floodgates burst open just when Villa needed him most. First, he met a low delivery with perfect timing, guiding the ball home to halve the deficit. Then, minutes later, he latched onto a clever through-ball and finished with assurance to level the contest before half-time. Villa went into the interval transformed: confident, aggressive, and sensing Brighton’s vulnerability.
Watkins said afterwards: “It has been hard… but you keep turning up and you get your rewards. We’re winning every week — what isn’t there to love?”
Villa’s momentum carried into the second half, and their relentless pressing forced mistake after mistake from Brighton. Just before the hour mark, Amadou Onana rose above everyone from a set piece, powering a header into the net to complete the turnaround. The roar from the away end was deafening.
Then came the lightning bolt. Upon entering the pitch, substitute Donyell Malen needed just one touch to make an impact. A diagonal ball found him in space, and he swept a crisp finish into the corner to put Villa 4–2 ahead in the 78th minute.
It looked over.
Brighton had other ideas.
In a match that refused to slow down, van Hecke — already on the scoresheet — volleyed home his second just five minutes after Malen’s goal, turning the final stages into pure chaos. Brighton pushed relentlessly. Crosses rained into the box. Corners mounted. Welbeck finally got the moment he wanted in stoppage time — a clear sight of goal — but Bizot, eager to erase the memory of his early mistake, flung himself across to make a match-saving stop.
Villa players mobbed him at full-time. Their sixth straight win was secure.
The victory marked Unai Emery’s 62nd Premier League win with Aston Villa, setting a new club record for the competition. Villa are now six points behind Arsenal, whom they face next in a blockbuster clash at Villa Park. Only twice before in Premier League history had Villa come from 2–0 down away from home to win.
This was their third — and it may be their most important yet.
Brighton’s unwanted stat told the story: It was their first home league match since 1999 where they scored three and still lost. Despite their resilience and creativity, they leave empty-handed — but with a chance to reset quickly as they host West Ham on Sunday.
Aston Villa climb to third, firmly asserting themselves as serious contenders, Brighton drop to seventh, suffering their first home defeat of the season.
A classic Premier League rollercoaster — one that may define both teams’ seasons.
