Aston Villa suffered a 1-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion today after a disappointing performance on the south coast.

Unai Emery’s men missed out on a chance to move 10 points above Tottenham with a win at the Amex Stadium.

It’s fair to say that Aston Villa were nowhere their best, with Brighton outplaying them for large spells of the game.

The Villains managed just two shots throughout the 90 minutes and with Emiliano Martinez ruled out, Robin Olsen was a busy man between the sticks.

It was just Olsen’s fourth start in the Premier League this season and despite being on the wrong end of the result, the 34-year-old impressed. 

Smith says Robin Olsen was Aston Villa’s best player vs Brighton

Speaking on Sky Sports’ coverage of the game, Alan Smith reacted after Olsen pulled off another big save in the game. 

The Swedish goalkeeper denied Joao Pedro with an excellent save after the Brighton forward raced through on goal, which led to praise from Smith.

“Well, he’s been Villa’s best player, Robin Olsen. By some distance,” the commentator said. “Three important stops from the Villa keeper.”

“Credit to Olsen,” Smith added. “A leg and an arm doing the business for him.”

Olsen proved to be a difficult man to beat today and the goalkeeper even denied Brighton from the penalty spot.

It was Pedro who stepped up from 12 yards out and Olsen made a brilliant stop down to his right-hand side.

Unfortunately for him and Villa, the ball fell kindly to the Brazilian who nodded the rebound into the net. 

Olsen’s stats vs Brighton

In a game where Villa weren’t at the races, it was Olsen who kept Emery’s side in the game.

Brighton created 2.69 xG on the day, with Villa managing just 0.06 from two shots on goal.

• 90 minutes played
• 7 saves
• 6 saves from inside the box
• 1 penalty saved
• 41/42 passes completed 

Despite a disappointing afternoon, a top-four finish very much remains in Villa’s hands, with games against Liverpool and Crystal Palace to come.