Brighton are clearly in trouble but they are being blown away by their narrow advantage.
Just one win in 13 Premier League games and a drop from fifth to 14th tells a story, but not the complete story.
They have drawn six of those games, beaten Burnley and also won the FA Cup against Manchester United.
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Arsenal, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa – twice now – have all beaten them by the odd goal, while Liverpool’s 2-0 win was the heaviest defeat of the latest round.
Brighton would have taken the lead had Emi Martinez not latched onto Fedy Kadioglu’s shot, leaving Villa to chase the game.
Only an unfortunate deflection from Jack Hinshelwood left the Seagulls scoreless at Villa Park.
During last week’s home defeat to Crystal Palace, some Brighton fans sang “sacked in the morning” to manager Fabian Huerzeller, something that seemed unbelievable after they finished eighth last season and started so strongly this season.
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Herzler has a reputation in the bank and his side are just minutes away from a game against Villa that they deserved.
The sliding door moment is opening up the wrong path for the Seagulls at the moment.
