Aston Villa bid farewell to an excellent 2024 by earning a 2-2 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion, which would have been a welcome point to bounce back on home soil after a 3-0 away defeat to Newcastle United.
It could have been all three points but for Tariq Lamptey’s late intervention for the away side, but Unai EmeryThe home team had to settle for just that one point that was added to theirs Premier League full-time order.
There were few players who struggled for the Villans throughout the full 90 minutes, far from some excellent players who managed to stop the rot after the humiliating defeat at St James’ Park.
Aston Villa’s best and worst players against Brighton
Although Pau Torres lasted just 20 minutes before limping off the pitch with an injury, he was undoubtedly responsible for Brighton’s opener on the night, after Seagull’s long ball forward caught the Villa centre-back napping.
Ezri Konsa also did not do enough to stop the Brighton striker from running forward before Simon Adingra then tapped past Emiliano Martinez to make it 1-0.
Fortunately for Villa’s stout defence, the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins shone in the contest to give the hosts a slim 2-1 lead, before Lamptey’s dramatic late equalizer smashed home.
Incredibly, Watkins would undo his ranks late on from a corner, as his effort at the death ended in a wild blaze, despite his goal of the night being calmly converted from the penalty spot.
Along with Watkins and Rogers, he would definitely be pleased with the display he got from one of their team-mates who hasn’t always been given regular opportunities in the Premier League this season.
Performance in numbers
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Leon Bailey’s performance in numbers
After setting fire to the top league last season with incredible ten goals and nine assists, Leon Bailey has recently struggled to return to the same top form.
Indeed, the Jamaican striker did zero strikes along with his name so far in the 2023/24 season. and just two assists, but he was seriously trying to regain his modo with a high-octane display on Monday night.
|
Bailey v Brighton |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Bailey |
|
Minutes played |
77 |
|
Goals scored |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
It touches |
56 |
|
Precise passes |
22/25 (88%) |
|
Key passages |
3 |
|
Shots on goal |
7 |
|
Successful dribbles |
9/10 |
|
Total number of duels won |
13/16 |
|
Statistics according to Sofascore |
|
Bailey was consistently in the forefront for Villanova during his 77 minutes on the court, with nine absurdly successful dribbles down the right wing, while winning a whopping 13 face-offs as a feisty livewire.
There would have been audible sighs at his inability to finish off chances on the night, given that he saw six of his attempts incredibly blocked on the night, but Villa stood by Rogers earlier in the season when he was arguably wasted and now they are more than reaping the rewards .
Birmingham Live journalist John Townley praised Bailey’s energetic display after the game, with the Villa number 31 ‘trying his best’ to get into ‘dangerous’ positions throughout a night that saw high Rating 8/10 come his way.
With Jacob Ramsey now back in contention for more starts after an injury setback, Emery has plenty of options at his disposal on the right flank, with Bailey also back on track for Villa and ready to start more games after a disappointing season to date could lead to question your future in January.
Now he appears to have breathed life back into his time in the West Midlands as his side look to make 2025 another fantastic year despite some poor recent results.
