Roberto De Zerbi admits Brighton did not beat ‘the true Aston Villa’ after Joao Pedro’s late header secured Seagulls’ first win in seven matches

Roberto De Zerbi admitted Brighton did not beat ‘the true Aston Villa’ after his side ended a miserable run with their first win in seven games.

Joao Pedro’s late goal, scoring from the rebound after his penalty had been saved by the excellent Robin Olsen, proved the difference, but the Seagulls were the better side throughout.

‘To be honest, Villa were not themselves, maybe a little tired,’ said the Italian. ‘They are playing in the Europa Conference League and they have a lot of injuries.

‘I am proud because we played a great game against one of the best teams in the Premier League.

‘Playing against Unai Emery’s teams is very tough. We played well, we deserved to win, we could have scored more goals. I think Olsen was the best player for Villa.’

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted his side did not beat ‘the true Aston Villa’

The Seagulls ended a miserable run with their first win in seven games thanks to Joao Pedro (R)

There is clearly a great deal of mutual admiration between De Zerbi and Emery and a symmetry in the narrative of their seasons.

Both have thrown themselves full throttle into league and European campaigns and suffered a string of injuries as a result.

While the best Brighton can now hope for is a top-half finish, a first-ever qualification for the Champions League remains in sight for Villa.

‘Maybe, perhaps, but it’s not an excuse for us,’ said Emery when De Zerbi’s assessment of his team’s fatigue was put to him.

‘We lost and we didn’t deserve more. We competed and we tried to stop them.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says fatigue was not a valid excuse and his side deserved to lose

‘They created more chances than us and they were dangerous. We needed the goalkeeper and he was here. Robin Olsen was fantastic.’

Emery now faces a trip to Greece on Thursday where they trail Olympiacos 4-2 after the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final.

‘The most important thing now is rest,’ he added. ‘Thursday is more difficult for us against Olympiacos, but we will be there. We must try to recover players.’