BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Joao Pedro scored an 87th-minute winner as Brighton beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday. Victory for Brighton ended its six-match winless run in the league and also dented Villa’s bid to secure a top-four finish. Fourth-place Villa travelled to the Amex Stadium knowing a win would have secured Champions League qualification next season if Tottenham lost to Liverpool later in the day. But after losing 4-2 against Olympiakos in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semifinals on Thursday, it suffered another setback. Pedro headed home the winner from a rebound after his late penalty was saved by Robin Olsen. Brighton was seeking only a fourth league win in 2024 and its only goal in its last five league outings was an own goal by Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric in a 1-1 draw three weeks ago. |