On the final day of the Premier League season, the Claret and Blues completed a double over Brighton to clinch 7th and a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

It was Aston Villa's seventh home win in a row, a streak not matched since 1993. Meanwhile, Brighton had already confirmed a UEFA Europa League spot courtesy of their point at the Etihad.

A rocking Villa Park saw their side threaten early on as Leon Bailey cracked the crossbar from close range. Not long after, the breakthrough came down the same flank as Jacob Ramsey cut the ball back for an eagerly poised Douglas Luiz. Aston Villa’s Players Player of the Season, Luiz, rolled the ball home for his sixth goal this campaign.

The second goal saw Jacob Ramsey again involved, chasing down a John McGinn through ball in a counter attack in which Brighton were outnumbered. Ramsey finished the move by squaring to ‘Ollie Slotkins’ who tapped in to a virtually open goal. Watkins becomes the first Aston Villa to score 15 in a Premier League campaign since Christian Benteke in 2012/13.

Deniz Undav had scored earlier in the game, only for it to be ruled offside. It looked as if he had repeated this until VAR ruled his goal from a smart Brighton set piece to be legal and bring the score to 2-1.

It is the first time in European competition for Villa in 13 years and the final game they played before moving to a new, circular crest. For Brighton, they saw Alexis MacAllister and Moises Caicedo play what was likely to be their last games for the club.

  • Villa were ready for Europe

 

Aston Villa secured a hard-earned point at Anfield in the previous game week to put European qualification in their own hands. This point put them marginally ahead of competitors for the seventh spot, Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford. Both Spurs and Brentford also secured three points on the final day of the season, meaning their win was crucial in maintaining their position.

This was no easy feat against a Brighton side who were far from on the beach, metaphorically and literally. There was no sign of their potential hangovers from celebrating Europa league qualification, as the Seagulls had 60 percent of possession, created three big chances and had five shots inside the opponents box. The visitors were, however, without key personal such as Lewis Dunk, and Moises Caicedo and Pervis Estupinan did not feature until the second half.

Four time Europa League champion Unai Emery will relish the opportunity to compete on European soil once again. His side could be in contention, for what will be an additional trophy for Villa to compete for, given Emery’s pedigree in such competitions.

On his 22nd birthday, Villa academy graduate Jacob Ramsey completed all four of his dribbles successfully, won five ground duels and contributed two assists. The brother of Aaron Ramsey, fellow Aston Villa academy prospect, Jacob has captained the England U21 side and will join them in their competition for the U21 Euros.

He is often not mentioned when discussing the Premier League’s best youth prospects yet has shown a great ability to contribute goals for his side. The now 22 year old, had more goal contributions than Brighton stars Alexis MacAllister and Karou Mitoma this season with 13. Over the last two seasons, only the Arsenal duo of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have scored more Premier League goals than him out of all players aged 21 and under.

His success was recently recognised by the 2022/23 Premier League Academy Graduate award, an honour won by Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount in the previous two seasons.

  • Both sides need to add depth in the summer transfer window

Qualifying for Europe is a great success for both these sides, finishing comfortably above traditional big six club Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. However, those notoriously tricky Thursday night fixtures across Europe can cause fatigue and a league drop-off without a well prepared squad. Think of West Ham United, who finished seventh last Premier League season to qualify for the Europa conference league and finished this season in thirteenth with a sixteen point drop off. Granted, their season could still be marked successful if they are able to win the second Europa Conference League final and thus be the third English side to compete in the Europa League next season.

Brighton’s impressive recruitment could be fit for the job, having already completed various summer signings. Including young Brazilian Joao Pedro and Premier League veteran James Milner. Their ability to identify talent at a low cost has helped the club to make huge profits on players. For example, the £15 million acquisition of Marc Cucurella turning into a £63 million sale to Chelsea. Alexis MacAllister’s deal to Liverpool is reported to be upwards of £60 million, after Brighton initially brought him in for just £7 million.

Also of promise, Emery’s knowledge and connections to the Spanish leagues should prove useful for recruitment. This is in spite of the blow faced by Aston Villa following the U-turn by Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany, who initially accepted a lucrative contract at Bodymoor Heath. Several Villa loanees performed well in the football league last season and could be a source of squad depth or income for the club, including Cameron Archer, Marvelous Nakamba and Tim Ireogbunam.

  • Emery and De Zerbi deserve their flowers

When Unai Emery took control of the Birmingham-based side, they were left lingering in 16th by previous manager Steven Gerrard. Since then, only Manchester City and Arsenal have gone onto earn more points than Emery’s Aston Villa.

After joining from Shakhtar Donetsk, Roberto De Zerbi has superseded the work of Graham Potter to accelerate the growth of the Albion. His first Premier League win as a manager, incidentally, came from a 4-1 trashing of Graham Potter’s Chelsea side. Since then, he has guided Brighton to their most comprehensive Premier League win ever, a 6-0 home win over Wolves. And also brought them to European qualification for the first time in the clubs history.

Both managers were deservingly recognised and credited for their notable seasons through Premier League Manager of the Year nominations.