Aston Villa slips up in race for Champions League after 1-0 loss at Brighton
A bad week has got worse for Aston Villa after a surprise 1-0 loss at Brighton in the race for the top four
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A bad week got worse for Aston Villa on Sunday after a surprise 1-0 loss at Brighton in the race for the top four in the Premier League.
Unai Emery's team lost 4-2 at home to Olympiakos in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal on Thursday. And on a day when Villa could have secured its place in next season's Champions League, it suffered another setback.
Joao Pedro's 87th-minute goal at the Amex Stadium gave hope to fifth-place Tottenham in its pursuit of Villa in fourth. Tottenham played Liverpool at Anfield later Sunday with the chance to move within four points of Villa with a game still in hand.
Villa would have been certain of a top-four finish if it had won at Brighton and Spurs had gone on to lose against Liverpool.
