Looking to bounce back from their FA Cup exit, Brighton allowed the visitors to dominate possession in the early exchanges, instead looking to utilise their pace on the break.
The result was a stalemate in the first half where clear cut chances were at a premium, although Marcus Rashford should’ve done better after taking a sublime touch and working the ball on to his right foot, but he screwed his shot well wide.
Matty Cash also came close with a driven half volley which flew just over the bar, but the hosts started to seize the initiative in the final minutes of the half and almost took the lead just before HT.
Yasin Ayari’s free-kick looked goalbound only for Emiliano Martínez to turn it on to the post with the faintest of touches before Jacob Ramsey survived a VAR review in the aftermath as the ball struck his arm.
The pattern was reversed after the break when Villa managed to spring a quick counter attack, and this time it resulted in the opener as Rashford raced clear before keeping his nerve to tuck home Morgan Rogers’s inch-perfect ball to score his first Premier League goal since arriving on loan.
It looked like the lead would barely last five minutes as Simon Adingra took advantage of indecision in the Villa backline, but Unai Emery’s side were spared after another VAR review showed a Kaoru Mitoma handball in the buildup.
Fabian Hurzeler responded with four changes in an attempt to get his side back into the game, but they were caught out on 78 minutes when one of Emery’s substitutions paid off, with Marco Asensio slotting home a composed finish from the edge of the area, with Rodgers the provider again.
That goal proved to be the clincher as the hosts struggled to create anything in the final stages, but there was still time for Donyell Malen to add some gloss to the scoreline, firing home a third deep into injury time.
The win sees Aston Villa claim a huge three points, which moves them above Brighton and within three points of the top four, while Hürzeler's side sits one point further back in the race for a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)