ASTON VILLA 1-0 BRIGHTON: JAMES MILNER EQUALS GARETH BARRY’S 653 PREMIER LEAGUE APPEARANCES IN VILLA LOSS
James Milner makes history, matching Gareth Barry's record, but Tyrone Mings steals the points for Villa. Brighton's slump continues.
On a night when James Milner matched Gareth Barry’s Premier League appearance record, his old club Aston Villa handed Fabian Hürzeler another headache. Tyrone Mings, making his 200th Villa appearance, saw his late header bounce in off Jack Hinshelwood with just four minutes left. That was enough to beat Brighton and keep their rough patch going.
Honestly, Villa were flat. Unai Emery barely reacted to the goal. Brighton actually looked more likely to score; Ferdi Kadioglu rattled the crossbar, and Milner almost nicked one near the end. For Hürzeler, who’s feeling the pressure at just 32, that’s now one win in the last 13 league matches.
Both teams needed something to cheer about, but Brighton needed it more. Losing at home to Crystal Palace last time only turned up the heat on Hürzeler, and some Brighton fans even chanted against him. Thomas Frank's leaving Tottenham was another reminder that managers don’t last long these days. Brighton always seemed like they had it figured out, but now? You have to wonder how much time Hürzeler has left.
He didn’t shy away from big calls. Carlos Baleba got booked almost instantly for a lazy challenge, and after just 22 minutes, Hürzeler took him off. Milner came on to a warm round of applause for his record-equalling 653rd top-flight game. Baleba slumped into the dugout, pulling his shirt over his face. You couldn’t blame him; some fans probably wanted to hide, too. Hürzeler literally covered his eyes after Joel Veltman’s early foul throw. Brighton barely touched the ball inside Villa’s box in a dull first half. Villa weren’t much better, but Jadon Sancho at least tried to make things happen. His shots got blocked, and Ollie Watkins headed wide from an Ian Maatsen cross. Danny Welbeck even managed to snuff out an Emi Martínez clearance before Villa finally managed a real shot. Emi Buendía’s effort deflected just wide right before half-time. Half the Holte End thought it was in, but the ball had just smacked the advertising boards.
That’s how the game went. Kaoru Mitoma curled one off target, Emery grimaced as Amadou Onana blasted high into the stands, and Kadioglu gave everyone a jolt by smashing the bar, though Martínez helped, getting a glove to it. Welbeck set him up at the edge of the box, and the Turkish full-back hammered a swerving shot on goal, only for Martínez to tip it onto the woodwork.
Right before the goal, Mings headed away a tricky cross from Brighton sub Harry Howell, and Tammy Abraham went down softly in the box. It looked like the game would just fizzle out into a goalless draw, which honestly would’ve fit the mood. But then Mings showed up at the front post, Hinshelwood’s deflection did the rest, and Villa snatched the win at the very end.
ELLIOT ANDERSON DOWNPLAYS TRANSFER RUMORS; STAYS FOCUSED ON ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP RUN
Elliot Anderson prioritises England’s World Cup glory as Manchester United and City challenge Newcastle for his signature
Elliot Anderson has downplayed rumours about a high-profile transfer from Nottingham Forest this summer, emphasising that his focus remains on the World Cup.
England manager Thomas Tuchel will likely want his squad fully concentrated on the tournament in the US. Anderson, a Whitley Bay native, is expected to be part of the 26-man Three Lions squad, set to face Croatia, Ghana, and Panama in the group stage.
Newcastle has publicly expressed interest through sporting director Ross Wilson in Anderson, who is reportedly on their radar. Yet, recently, Manchester United and Manchester City have also shown strong interest, pointing toward a possible competition between the two northwest clubs for his signature.
Newcastle risks being priced out if either Manchester club enters the fray. Their key motivation might grow if Sandro Tonali or Bruno Guimaraes moves to a rival team, intensifying Newcastle’s interest in Anderson.
Still, Anderson remains focused on England duty. Speaking today, he said, 'We've got the World Cup coming up this summer, so that's where all my attention is.' Wearing the England badge now means that’s all I’m thinking about at the moment.
Eddie Howe has always been a supporter of Anderson and suggested the midfielder should never have left. Earlier this season, Howe described the sale as rushed: We were on the clock and trying every angle to avoid a points deduction. We had little leverage to negotiate buyback clauses or similar protections.
Asked if he regrets the board's decision to sell Anderson due to Premier League financial rules, Howe admitted, 'It's not on my mind every day, but certain moments bring it back.' It never felt right then, and it doesn’t feel right now that we, as a club, had to make a decision we didn’t want to make. Elliot gave everything progressing through our ranks, aiming to play for Newcastle, but financial constraints ended that. Still, we wish him nothing but success.
He was clear it wasn’t about Anderson personally, but about the tough restrictions the club faced.
Given Anderson’s impressive performances for Forest and England, Newcastle are finding it tougher to secure a deal as time goes on.
WHY ROBERTO DE ZERBI IS NOW OPEN TO JOINING SPURS IMMEDIATELY DESPITE SUMMER PREFERENCE
Tottenham sets a 48-hour deadline for Roberto De Zerbi to accept the manager job as Igor Tudor exits amid a relegation crisis.
Tottenham have reportedly given Roberto De Zerbi just 48 hours to decide if he wants their manager's job. He’s now the clear favourite to replace Igor Tudor as Spurs scramble to avoid relegation.
Tudor left by mutual agreement on Sunday after failing to win any of his five Premier League games. He stepped in as a short-term fix after Thomas Frank, but things only got worse for Spurs with him in charge.
Right now, Spurs are 17th, just one point clear of the drop zone. Club bosses don’t want to wait any longer. They hope to have a new manager in place before the players come back from international duty, and talks with De Zerbi have really picked up.
At first, De Zerbi wasn’t keen on jumping in before the summer, but it sounds like he’s changed his mind.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Tottenham’s given him an ultimatum: he’s got a day or two, tops, to give a straight answer.
The paper said that until recently, De Zerbi kept saying no, but apparently, something shifted.
Now he’s seriously considering the offer, especially since taking the role now could boost his standing if he manages to keep Spurs in the Premier League.
If De Zerbi says yes, his first game would be on Sunday, April 12, away at Sunderland. That match suddenly looks massive given how close Spurs are to the bottom three.
They may already be in the relegation zone by then. West Ham, who sit 18th, play Wolves on Friday. A win for West Ham would shove Tottenham into the bottom three, though Spurs would still have a game in hand over their rivals.
Not everyone’s thrilled about De Zerbi coming in. Three major Tottenham fan groups have spoken out against the potential appointment because of comments he made about Mason Greenwood during his time at Marseille.
