South Coast battering was on the Vitality Stadium menu in last weekend’s clash between Bournemouth and Brighton, where the Seagulls’ dampening end to the campaign continued in a three-goal defeat to Andoni Iraola’s men, who needed just 13 minutes to break the deadlock through Marcos Senesi.
Further strikes from Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert boosted Bournemouth’s top-half bid while plunging Roberto De Zerbi’s side further down the rankings; the Seagulls now occupy 12th spot amid their downturn in fortunes and can almost kiss goodbye to any wafer-thin hopes of European qualification.
Since posting an inconsequential 1-0 win over Roma en route to Europa League elimination, Brighton have accrued just two points from the last 18 on offer in the Premier League; a shoddy spell which has severely harmed De Zerbi’s chances of working his way up the managerial ladder.
Only two goals have been scored by the men in blue and white in that time, and from their last 12 matches across all tournaments, the toothless Seagulls have struck just a paltry five times, as many as they managed in one game against Sheffield United in the middle of February.
That 5-0 humiliation marks the last time that Brighton notched multiple goals in one game, and the curtain closing on the season cannot come quickly enough for the Seagulls faithful, whose side also have to take on Newcastle United, Manchester United and Chelsea in their final three matches.
While Brighton’s continental pilgrimage ended some time ago, serial Europa League winner Unai Emery is still chasing success in the Europa Conference League, but the Lions are on the brink of semi-final heartbreak thanks to Olympiacos’ astounding Villa Park success in Thursday’s opening tie.
No strangers to shocks on English soil – as Emery’s former club Arsenal are all too aware – the Greek giants took a two-goal lead back to base thanks to an Ayoub El Kaabi hat-trick and late Santiago Hezze effort; Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins’s efforts meant little on the evening.
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Douglas Luiz also fluffed his lines from the penalty spot late on, thereby forcing Villa to produce an Athenian miracle if they are to turn the tie around next week, but the Lions should not require the coveted Europa League place that triumphing in the tertiary competition would bring.
Despite blowing a two-goal lead in last weekend’s top-flight clash with Chelsea, Villa still possess a seven-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur – who have a game in hand – in fourth spot, so they will be assured of Champions League qualification with victory at the Amex if Spurs lose to Liverpool later on Sunday afternoon.
While failing to tighten up at the back, the 4-2 loss to Olympiacos marked the seventh game in a row that Emery’s men have notched multiple goals, and they ran riot against Brighton in a 6-1 Villa Park triumph earlier this season, their fifth straight Premier League win over Sunday’s shot-shy hosts
