Aston Villa boss Unai Emery singled out both Danny Ings and the travelling supporters for praise after our 2-1 win over Brighton on Sunday.
A brace from Ings helped us turn things around at the Amex Stadium after Alexis Mac Allister had given the hosts a lead within a minute of the start.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as Villa secure battling win over Brighton
However, Villa showed great resilience and belief to battle back and secure all three points ahead of the World Cup break, and that in turn also made it two wins in two under Emery in the Premier League.
With Ollie Watkins ruled out of the game due to illness, Ings was given a chance to lead our line, and he responded with a decisive performance that led us to victory as he made it five league goals on the season.
Emery on Villa win, Ings praise
“It’s the first two steps,” Emery told VillaTV. “We also played against Manchester United away and that was our first big challenge: to play away from home and try to win. We made that step today, and I think the break will help us to be positive and rest a little bit.
“We will enjoy the time over the World Cup. We have one month to work and solve some tactical and individual issues. We will try to build and create our way.
“Very, very good work from Danny Ings. We changed our shape a little bit with him because I was thinking his best position is between the two centre-backs.
“We needed good passes and assists to him, and I think if we could do it, we would help Danny to give his best performance.”
Emery stressed the importance of competing on the road earlier in the week ahead of our two away games, as that was ultimately an area we had to improve in given this was our first win away from Villa Park in the league so far this season.
Further, the Spanish tactician makes a valid point in that the Villa squad now have a big month or so ahead of them when they reconvene for a winter camp, as it will give the group a big opportunity to really take in Emery’s ideas and how he wants them to play.
They’ll get a chance to work on things and iron out issues during a touted trip to Dubai, while we’ve arranged a friendly against Emery’s former side Villarreal next month which will give all concerned an opportunity to put those improvements into action.
As for Ings, there was a fear prior to the game that he would struggle to lead the line alone and so the service to him had to be right and he needed support around him to utilise his strengths. Emery got that from the team, but Ings himself was a top performer and he produced in key moments to secure the win.
Emery on Villa fans who travelled to Brighton
Meanwhile, Emery also had positive things to say about the travelling Villa fans who made plenty of noise throughout the game and offered real encouragement to the players even after the early setback.
Given the reactions of the players after the full-time whistle, it’s evident how important that support is, and as we’ve seen since Emery arrived, particularly if there is something on the pitch to get behind, the Villa players will no doubt receive plenty of backing after the break as we look to build on this good start under the new boss.
“I’m so proud of our supporters because they are very important for us,” he added. “We can transmit our energy and our job but we needed them to support and help us. We can be proud of them.
“These three points are helping in the table. We have 18 points and we can be happy.”