U18s: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Aston Villa

Aston Villa suffered a 2-0 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Under-18 Premier League South on Saturday.

Second-half goals from Joshua Duffus and Marcus Ifill inflicted defeat on the Young Lions on the south coast.

Villa remain 12^th in the table with two matches remaining, with a trip to Leicester City next up on Saturday.

Kadan Young flashed an effort narrowly wide for the Villans in the first half before Josh Lane made a smart save from a goalmouth scramble to keep the game level.

A flowing move saw Seagulls goalkeeper Killian Cahill collect from Villa striker Kobei Moore, Lane doing likewise to keep out Zak Emmerson’s low 20-yard strike at the other end.

Jayden Barber got across quickly to block from Brighton defender Leigh Kavanagh before Lane saved Jack Hinshelwood’s header and used his feet to deny Duffus, ensuring the first period finished goalless.

Young embarked on a superb mazy run in the second half which took him all the way from his own half to inside the Seagulls penalty area but his finish was saved by Cahill.

Emmerson drilled an effort against the base of a post for the hosts as they came closest to opening the scoring.

And they broke the deadlock in the 67^th minute as Duffus slotted home having been sent through by Elliot Jenks.

Both sides had chances to get the crucial second goal, but the home side made sure of the points in the 78^th minute.

Impressive running from Duffus kept the ball in play by the corner flag and he pulled it back for Ifill to curl into the net from the edge of the penalty area on the angle, Harvey Rhoades clearing off the line late on to prevent a third.