U18s: Aston Villa 2-4 Brighton

Aston Villa were beaten in the Under-18 Premier League on Saturday, falling 4-2 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Bodymoor Heath.

Richard Beale’s Young Lions fell behind in the opening period to Finn Dzekawong’s opener, though pulled level just after the hour mark through defender Vincely Mudame.

But a second-half brace from Brighton’s Chetam Ezenwata, either side of a goal from substitute Jacob Parsons, meant Daniel Adediran’s strike for Villa could not help them muster a share of the spoils.

Another youthful Villa side took to the field at Bodymoor, with their substitutes bench comprising six Under-16 players.

But it was the Seagulls who controlled the majority of proceedings from the off, getting shots away and threatening the Villa goal.

With a little under half an hour on the clock, they had the lead. A well-worked set-piece saw Brook Smith hook a ball into the centre, where Dzekawong was on hand to steer into the far corner, giving his side the lead at the interval.

The Villans responded after the break, with both Jahmi Kellyman and Adediran threatening with efforts in search of an equaliser.

And just after the hour, their advances were rewarded. The hosts kept the pressure on Brighton from an attacking situation, Kellyman swung a teasing ball to the back post, and there was Mudame to crash home a header and restore parity.

But Villa’s joy was short lived, and within 10 minutes of drawing level, they were 3-1 down. Midway through the second period, an unmarked Ezenwata nodded home Dzekawong’s corner to restore the Seagulls’ advantage, before minutes later, Parsons picked up a loose ball and drove through the Villa defence, finishing past Jayden Garthwaite in the hosts’ goal.

Beale’s boys came back, and 11 minutes later had their second to bring them back to within a goal, Adediran pouncing to convert Murphy Iyeli’s dinked ball in the centre.

But three minutes from time, defender Ezenwata notched his second of the game, running the length of the field and bending into the far corner to seal the points for the visitors in a breathless encounter at Bodymoor Heath.

Defeat sees Villa drop to 10th in the Under-18 Premier League South table with two wins, two defeats and two draws from their six outings. They now break for international duty, returning to action on Saturday, October 10 in the Premier League Cup against Nottingham Forest at Bodymoor (ko 11am).