It was only a short stint from Leon Baily for Aston Villa against Brighton - but it was a crucial one
Leon Bailey in action for Aston Villa against Brighton
Aston Villa's Leon Bailey (left) and Brighton and Hove Albion's Ferdi Kadioglu battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham. Picture date: Wednesday February 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Cody Froggatt/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
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Leon Bailey admitted that Aston Villa's three points against Brighton & Hove Albion were hard to come back as he reflected on a scrappy 1-0 win at Villa Park.
Bailey who recently returned to Villa Park from a loan at AS Roma before the January transfer window closed, came off the bench before the end of the game and spoke to media after the game.
His brief spell on the pitch was enough to assist Tyrone Mings’ game-clinching goal in the closing stages in an important win for the club.
Bailey said: "We always had control, we never lost our heads, even though it was a bit scrappy.
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“The last two games here at home haven’t been the best, and we just had to ensure we kept a clean sheet – that was the most important thing.
“In the end, we know that we have the quality to deliver. Once we were focused in defence, we have the quality to get the goal.
“In the end, it was a scrappy one, but we’re grateful for it.”
“We had moments where maybe I could impact the game on the wing and it was my aggressiveness to try to create more chances in front and be more aggressive in front of the goal, because we were lacking that a little bit.
“He told me it’s my time now to give the impact that we need up front. He told me just go on and do your thing, and take your one v ones, and I tried to do that and tried to impact the game.”
Bailey’s agent recently contradicted Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini over the player’s return to Villa.
Gasperini insisted Bailey’s loan was “a real ordeal” and was ended because of a series of injuries during his time in Italy.
But his agent Craig Butler is adamant it was Villa’s decision to recall him because of injuries in their squad.
He told CVM Television : “He didn’t return to Aston Villa because Roma didn’t want him, but because the club needed him.
“They wanted him back because they needed a player of his calibre.”
Gasperini had previously said: "Unfortunately, Bailey's experience was negative for both him and us.
“He got injured on the first day of training, and from there, a real ordeal began.
“It took a long time to recover, then there were some stints, but every time he seemed ready to return fully, he relapsed.
“It was truly a shame, because he was a player we thought could add value.
“I believe injuries were the main factor in this decision, including what happened in the last match in Turin, when he had to sit out again.
“Being a player on loan, it's clear that this decision was made. Perhaps if he had been a Roma player, we would probably have moved on.”