Brighton & Hove Albion

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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What a bizarre season this has been for Fabian Hurzeler and Brighton. Runs of positive results, followed by a succession of negative ones.

Form and injuries can be factors, but how do you explain this sequence...

Victories over Manchester City and at Bournemouth, then eight games without one, followed by three in a row, then two defeats, then six wins on the spin and now three without a victory, culminating in a heavy home loss to Aston Villa.

Marginal decisions went against Albion in the Villa game, just as a penalty shootout defeat by Nottingham Forest may end up being a painful postscript to the season.

A European place is still within reach, which given Brighton's history would be an achievement to cherish.

But the inconsistency that has scarred the campaign means we are going to get to the summer still not really knowing whether this has been a good season or not.

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We asked for your views on Brighton's Premier League match against Aston Villa. Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Jon: Another game in which Brighton are outperformed by a physically stronger and well organised team. Just as they did with Everton and Nottingham Forest, Brighton seemed lightweight compared with Villa.

Fran: Very lacklustre from the Seagulls with too many passes going astray, poor decision-making around the Villa goal and a defence that seemed very unsure. Also, I am not sure why we play the ball into the corner and give defenders time to get across in numbers and block everything. We need to be more aggressive and direct and somebody needs to take responsibility and have a shot at goal instead of passing it! Never normally leave a game early but I did with this. Nothing to get excited about.

Rob: Scoreline really did not reflect the game. The disallowed goal, which was a marginal decision, changed the game. Looking forward to next season when something is done about the ridiculous time-wasting, which is spoiling the game for spectators.

Villa fans

James: Not our best performance but it just shows the mentality of the team now, winning when not completely firing. Also being able to bring those sort of players off the bench to change and influence games is amazing.

David: Brighton were very good but our quality showed in the end. Two assists for Morgan Rogers and great to see Donyell Malen score and get some love from the fans. Every game between now and the end of the season is a cup final for us to make the top five. It's lucky Emery is a bit of cup specialist!

Mike: Boubacar Kamara is just special - he's our Rodri, and he's no less of a player. One of, if not the most underrated players in world football. Love him!

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Brighton winger Simon Adingra spoke to BBC Radio Sussex after Wednesday's defeat against Aston Villa: "I think we were in control of the game at the beginning, but we made some mistakes and they punished us. We have to react quickly because the Premier League is quick. If you're not compact, you get punished.

"I feel good [to be back starting] and it was good for my confidence to be in front of the fans. Hopefully in the next game we can do better - we have many games ahead of us so we have to focus and keep going."

On Saturday's match against rivals Crystal Palace: "We take every game as the same. We don't have big or small games - it's just Premier League games and we have to focus on ourselves."

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Brighton's fans delivered a smattering of boos when the final whistle sounded on a damaging defeat at Amex Stadium.

It was more an expression of frustration than fury, this disappointing result following hot on the heels of Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final loss on penalties to Nottingham Forest.

The rigours of extra time and penalties, as well as the result, looked to have taken its toll on Brighton as they struggled for spark before running out of steam, ending well-beaten.

The scoreline was harsh but Aston Villa fully merited a win that puts them above Brighton into seventh place in the Premier League table.

Brighton were offered brief hope when Simon Adringra bundled home what they thought was an equaliser, shortly after Rashford opened the scoring, but it was correctly disallowed for Kaoru Mitoma's handball.

Villa then made the most of their reprieve to eventually overpower a tiring Brighton.

Highlights and analysis from nine midweek Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-1 Fulham

• Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man Utd

• Liverpool 1-0 Everton

• Newcastle 2-1 Brentford

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, speaking to Sky Sports: "After the goal for them, the game changed. They defended in a low block and it was quite good. We weren't able to create any more chances. The first goal changed the game.

"It was frustrating in that moment to concede a goal so easily. We were dominant. We needed a bit of time. We scored but it was disallowed. It was a mix of everything but we have to do it better.

"These are the things we can influence on the pitch. How we are positioned off the corner and high pressure. We need to do these right otherwise you don't deserve to win.

"I would say we were just not precise. I don't think the maturity would have made the difference today.

"Do the small things right. To do the things we need to win on the pitch. These we have to maximize. We have to work on this and we have to take the next chance on Saturday."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Wednesday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Bournemouth v Ipswich

• Brighton v Aston Villa

• Man City v Leicester City

• Newcastle v Brentford - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Southampton v Crystal Palace

• Liverpool v Everton (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 19:45 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

What a season Aston Villa are having, with a Champions League quarter-final and FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.

Their recruitment in January has been key - a lot has been made of how well Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio are playing after joining on loan, and rightly so.

Whether Villa can turn them into permanent signings in the summer might depend on whether they get in next season's Champions League, however.

While this is exactly the scenario they want, finishing in the top five is going to be tough on top of everything else, and it is games like this where everything might catch up with them.

Brighton drew a blank against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Saturday but Villa are a bit more expansive, and I feel like the Seagulls will have plenty of chances here.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Brighton have won just one of their five Premier League home games against Aston Villa, which was in this exact fixture last season (1-0 in May).

Brighton have won each of their past three Premier League games at Amex Stadium and are looking to win four home matches in a row for the very first time in the top flight.

Excluding penalties, no side has scored more goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season than Aston Villa (13), but only Brentford (three) and Manchester City (five) have conceded fewer goals from set plays in the competition this term than Brighton (six).

Brighton have put £100m price tags on 23-year-old Brazil forward Joao Pedro and 21-year-old Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba to fend off interest from Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea. (Talksport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Brighton will sign winger Tom Watson from Sunderland when the summer transfer window opens.

The 18-year-old will join the club for a fee of £10m on 1 June on a four-year deal that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2029.

Watson made his Championship debut in April 2023 and has featured 17 times for the Black Cats, scoring two goals.

He has represented England at under-17 and under-18 level, making his debut for the latter in October 2023.

Brighton technical director David Weir said: "Tommy is an exciting young talent who we have been tracking for a significant period of time.

"He's had an excellent breakthrough season with Sunderland, and we are looking forward to him joining us in the summer.

"However, for now his full focus is on helping them finish their season as strongly as possible."

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says 20-year-old Brajan Gruda will be given the chance to "step into the spotlight" after revealing that starting XI mainstay Georginio Rutter has picked up an ankle injury which "doesn't look great" and could put him on the sidelines long term.

Gruda scored for Germany Under-21s during the international break and was handed a 45-minute runout in the Seagulls' FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Nottingham Forest.

The attacking midfielder joined Brighton from Mainz in August 2024, and Hurzeler was quizzed on the development he has shown since completing his move in his news conference before Albion host Aston Villa on Wednesday.

"He made a great impression in the last game against Nottingham Forest. He had a big impact on our game - he was very fluent, he defended quite well, he was very active and he created a lot of chances for us.

"I'm happy with his development so far - and now there is the chance for him to step into the spotlight, which I'm sure he is really looking forward to.

"It's the physical side of his game that he needs to improve. The intensity is what all of the new players we have this season need to adapt to. They have all said it themselves.

"It's the same procedures for Brajan. He is adapting, training hard and trying to keep improving every day.

"Some players will be ready a little bit earlier than others who will be ready a little bit later, but I'm sure he has the potential to help us. Hopefully we will see that for the rest of the season."

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Amex Stadium (kick-off 19:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Georginio Rutter has picked up an ankle injury and Adam Webster is dealing with a muscle injury, which both "don't look great". It is "possible" that the duo could be out long term.

• He added: "It's another chance for Brajan Gruda, Matt O'Riley and Eiran Cashin, so I see it more as an opportunity. I will never complain about injuries. Georginio and Adam were in great shape, but that's football and we have to deal with it."

• Hurzeler said there are no worries about other players having to step up: "All of these players that haven't played that much this season have big motivation and big energy. It's these kind of characters that we need for the rest of the season."

• The quick turnaround from Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Nottingham Forest is a "great opportunity for a comeback". He explained: "A setback and a disappointment doesn't feel great, but I always say the feeling of a comeback is always greater, so we have to work for that."

• He believes the Seagulls have proven they are "a team that can stick together" and he thinks they have "a big chance" of getting back to winning ways against Aston Villa.

• On Unai Emery's team: "It's a duel that we know will be a big fight. They are a very mature and experienced team. We know that they want to go to Europe. They are still in three competitions and going for a title, so I think they have had a great season."

• Villa have "quality individual players", such as Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, who can "help every team in the world and definitely make a big impact".

• He is expecting his side to play with "big maturity and intensity" and he is looking for his players to be "more ruthless" than they were against Forest.

• Brighton have the opportunity to record four consecutive home wins in the Premier League for the first time, but they will have to be "consistent and good in every phase to break the statistic".

• When asked whether Brighton having the opportunity to go fourth in the with a win surprises him, he responded: "Why should that surprise me? We've always been a club that doesn't want to hide behind our ambitions or be seen as the small club. Although we don't have the financial budget of other teams, you can still play a good season and fight for Europe if you stick together as a team."

Listen to more from Hurzeler on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your views on Brighton's penalty shootout defeat by Nottingham Forest in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Here are some of your comments:

Mick: We weren't good enough - we looked jaded and lacking in energy. Too many passes went astray. If we had played with the intensity of the final 10 minutes of extra time, we would have won. Let's reset and concentrate on the league and getting into Europe.

David: The best team on the night won. Too much strolling around and standing still with the ball. You never score by continually passing the ball backwards. Georginio Rutter's injury certainly affected the game. Disappointing but Europe is still possible.

Fran: Not our best performance. Not sure why but we always seem lethargic after any international break or any break come to that. Not just this game but in previous seasons as well. Concentrate now on finishing as high as possible.

Chris: Kudos to Nuno Espirito Santo for the way he prepared Forest. They made the Seagulls look bad every time we managed to get into the final third of the pitch. Too many poor passes and too many speculative no-look passes that were often picked off by a Forest player. I have to wonder if we've got the player depth to make it back to European football this season.

Fred: Was inevitable we would go out once it got to pens. Feels like a real missed opportunity. We have two huge games in the next week so the boys need to bounce back quickly.

Sarah: Gutted. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

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Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler speaking to the BBC after today's penalty shootout: "We were not resilient enough, not good enough and that is why we didn't win the game today. It is important that we analyse the reasons internally and it is important that we show a good reaction and try and improve on small things."

On Nottingham Forest's set-up making it difficult for his side: "They sit in a low block and wait for transitional moments - that is their game. It is the game we expected because they never do anything else. They are successful like this and it is tough to play against them. We were unable to find solutions against them, especially in the first half. We were not on our highest level today."

On how the players are feeling that missed penalties: "How should a player feel when he misses a penalty? They are disappointed but I take responsibility for the penalties. They are young players and will learn from it. They didn't shoot that bad, the Forest goalkeeper made two impressive saves. That is penalties."

On not letting the result affect the remainder of the season: "It is important that we don't let it affect us and we have to show a reaction but first of all we are disappointed. We have to show a reaction and stick together."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies