Opponents Brighton are winless in six league matches, drawing four of them, since beating Bournemouth 2-1 on 23 November. Villa have won eight of their nine top-flight home matches against the Seagulls, including a 6-1 victory early last season when Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick.

Brighton's threat eventually returned and improved after they narrowly survived a period of Villa dominance, and the Seagulls were rewarded for their attacking intent when Tariq Lamptey started a move with a surging run before finishing it off with a powerful finish into the bottom corner, a goal that secured the dramatic draw.