Aston Villa beat Brighton and Hove Albion 6-1 and there were some subtle changes made by Unai Emery that contributed to the win.
The Villains came into the game with many fans nervous about the result. Up against a top, top side it was going to be difficult.
Any nerves were cooled when Ollie Watkins latched on to a perfect Matty Cash cross. He tapped into an empty net to get his second in as many games.
He had his second when Moussa Diaby gave him the ball and the Englishman had one thing in his mind. Getting into the box and sending a precise effort into the near post.
The third came as Digne found Watkins, who laid it to Diaby. He had two bites at the cherry as the ball deflected in off a helpless Pervis Estupinan.
Ansu Fati, although looking as if he was offside, scored his first Brighton goal to bring it back to 3-1.
Any nerves were cooled off when Watkins’ deflected effort found the net. This gifted him his second hat trick of the season.
Watkins grabbed an assist as Jacob Ramsey curled in a beauty. The striker should have had a fourth as Jason Steele saved his shot before Douglas rolled in for six.
What did Aston Villa change against Brighton?
One thing about Emery and his style of football is that he wants to play short passes out from the back where possible.
This was changed against Brighton as you saw Emi Martinez playing a lot more long balls when he had the ball at his feet.
The Argentine made 26 long ball attempts throughout the game. This is nine more than against Chelsea and 21 more than against Crystal Palace, a clear change.
By looking for Nicolo Zaniolo coming inside he sucked out Brighton defenders and left space for Watkins to run in behind.
This resulted in the Seagulls players facing their own goal, which they didn’t cope with. With Estupinan off at halftime and poor performances from Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster, it clearly worked.
The other change saw the Villains step off their opponents and let them take their time on the ball. A bold strategy.
Allowing this meant that they often made pointless passes and failed to create many clear-cut chances.
This also saw their team be sucked in and move further forward, giving Villa chances on the counter, and it worked to perfection.
What a result for Villa, one of the most underrated results of the season.
