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By Michael EmonsBBC Sport at Villa Park
Last updated on 13 minutes ago.From the section Premier League
Douglas Luiz scored his sixth goal in the Premier League this seasonAston Villa beat Brighton at a raucous Villa Park to secure a return to European football after a 13-year absence.
Villa needed to win to secure seventh place in the Premier League and earn a spot in the play-offs for the third-tier Europa Conference League.
They made a dream start as, after Leon Bailey had hit the crossbar, they took the lead in the eighth minute when the club's Player of the Year Douglas Luiz slid the ball home from Jacob Ramsey's pullback.
Ramsey got another assist 18 minutes later when he collected a through ball and, just as away goalkeeper Jason Steele slid at his feet, knocked a sideways pass to Ollie Watkins for the England striker to score his 15th league goal of the season.
Brighton thought they had scored when Deniz Undav volleyed in, but Julio Enciso was ruled offside by the video assistant referee before he crossed for his team-mate.
But in the 38th minute a VAR decision went Undav's way when he scored following a quickly taken free-kick by Pascal Gross, with the assistant referee saying it was offside before being overruled by officials at Stockley Park.
Villa, who won the European Cup in 1982, last played in European competition in 2010, losing 4-3 on aggregate to Austrian side Rapid Vienna in the Europa League play-offs.
Despite a nervous second half against Brighton, they held on to the victory they needed to spark celebrations in the stands.
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Aston Villa
Squad number1Player nameE Martínez
Squad number2Player nameCash
Squad number4Player nameKonsa
Squad number5Player nameMings
Squad number27Player nameDigne
Squad number44Player nameKamara
Squad number6Player nameDouglas Luiz
Squad number31Player nameBailey
Squad number7Player nameMcGinn
Squad number41Player nameJ Ramsey
Squad number11Player nameWatkins
Squad number10Player nameBuendía
Brighton & Hove Albion
Squad number23Player nameSteele
Squad number34Player nameVeltman
Squad number4Player nameWebster
Squad number6Player nameColwill
Squad number13Player nameGroß
Squad number40Player nameBuonanotte
Squad number26Player nameAyari
Squad number10Player nameMac Allister
Squad number20Player nameEnciso
Squad number21Player nameUndav
Squad number28Player nameFerguson
Squad number22Player nameMitoma
Squad number25Player nameCaicedo
Squad number29Player namevan Hecke
Squad number30Player nameEstupiñán
Squad number71Player nameHinshelwood
Line-ups
Aston Villa
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1E Martínez
- 2CashBooked at 22mins
- 4Konsa
- 5MingsBooked at 37mins
- 27Digne
- 44Kamara
- 6Douglas Luiz
- 31BaileySubstituted forBuendíaat 69'minutes
- 7McGinnBooked at 67mins
- 41J RamseyBooked at 24mins
- 11Watkins
Substitutes
- 3Diego Carlos
- 9Traoré
- 10Buendía
- 16Chambers
- 18Young
- 25Olsen
- 32Dendoncker
- 56Revan
- 66Patterson
Brighton
Formation 4-4-2
- 23Steele
- 34VeltmanSubstituted forEstupiñánat 45'minutes
- 4WebsterSubstituted forvan Heckeat 65'minutes
- 6Colwill
- 13GroßBooked at 88mins
- 40BuonanotteBooked at 63mins
- 26AyariSubstituted forCaicedoat 45'minutesBooked at 73mins
- 10Mac Allister
- 20EncisoSubstituted forMitomaat 65'minutes
- 21UndavBooked at 12minsSubstituted forHinshelwoodat 89'minutes
- 28Ferguson
Substitutes
- 5Dunk
- 18Welbeck
- 22Mitoma
- 25Caicedo
- 27Gilmour
- 29van Hecke
- 30Estupiñán
- 38McGill
- 71Hinshelwood
Live Text
Match ends, Aston Villa 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.
Second Half ends, Aston Villa 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.
Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Alexis Mac Allister.
Attempt saved. Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Emiliano Buendía with a through ball.
Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Jan Paul van Hecke tries a through ball, but Kaoru Mitoma is caught offside.
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Jack Hinshelwood replaces Deniz Undav.
Attempt missed. Lucas Digne (Aston Villa) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick.
Pascal Groß (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Pervis Estupiñán (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Pascal Groß tries a through ball, but Evan Ferguson is caught offside.
Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Boubacar Kamara (Aston Villa).
Attempt missed. Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right from a direct free kick.
Foul by Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Pascal Groß (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton and Hove Albion).
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