In the Premier League on Sunday, Brighton defeated Aston Villa 1-0 thanks to a goal from Joao Pedro in the 87th minute. Brighton's victory snapped a six-game league losing streak and hurt Villa's hopes of finishing in the top four.
Fourth position Villa knew that, should Tottenham lose to Liverpool later in the day, a victory would guarantee them a spot in the Champions League the following season. However, it suffered another blow on Thursday with a 4-2 loss to Olympiakos in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semifinals. After Robin Olsen narrowly saved Pedro's late penalty, Pedro headed home the winner off a rebound. Brighton was only looking for its fourth league victory of 2024, and its lone goal in the previous five league games came from Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric's own goal in a 1-1 tie three weeks prior.