'It's in our hands': Aston Villa eye Champions League

Needing a win at Anfield to close the gap on fourth-placed Villa, Tottenham slumped to a fourth successive loss to leave their Champions League hopes in tatters. Villa are seven points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham, who have a game in hand but will miss out on the top four if Unai Emery's men win one of their remaining two matches.

A Villa win combined with a Tottenham loss would have sealed a Champions League place for Emery's side. But Villa were unable to fulfil their part of that equation as Joao Pedro's 87th-minute goal condemned them to a second painful defeat in four days.

Ending Brighton's six-match winless run, Pedro headed in the rebound after Robin Olsen saved his penalty, which had been awarded for Ezri Konsa's foul on Simon Adingra. Surprisingly beaten 4-2 by Olympiakos in the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg on Thursday, Villa were well below their best once again.

Emery's men host Liverpool and travel to Crystal Palace in their last two games as they fight to return to the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83. "We competed but we didn't get a good result and we didn't deserve more. I don't want to know anything about Tottenham because it's in our hands," Emery said.

"This week has been more difficult, a tough week. Now it’s important to rest and recover some players, to recover some energy and go to Athens and then Villa Park trying to enjoy the moment we have in front [of us]."

Emery went on to add: "We have to try to understand our progress and our progression. We’re doing a very good season, enjoying Europe for the first time in a long time, we’re in a semi-final, sometimes we’re making some mistakes and losing."