Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was pleased with how his side competed in our 2-1 win over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday.
Villa fell behind just before half-time after a frustrating opening 45 minutes in which we controlled possession for large periods, but were unable to produce a decisive end product.
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While Ben Mee’s dismissal in the second half was a key moment, we eventually found a breakthrough after sustained pressure with Alex Moreno first heading home our equaliser, before Ollie Watkins bagged our second to secure all three points.
It was a heated affair though as Boubacar Kamara was sent off late on too along with countless bookings in the latter stages, but the important thing was that we were able to hold out for the win and continue our excellent start to the season.
Given there were similarities to previous disappointing trips to Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, Emery was happy with how we competed and continued to try and impose our game plan, although there were obvious aspects that we could have done better, including situations where cool heads were needed.
“I’m very happy. It’s really very difficult to win away and a lot of things happened in 90 minutes,” he said, as per VillaTV.“After the first half when we were losing, in the dressing room we were speaking about how we could improve some things we didn’t do well in the first half.
“Overall, we were controlling the game, getting into their box and creating some chances. We conceded two or three chances to them and we needed to avoid it.
“In the second half, we were progressively controlling the game and when they received the red card we pushed a little more. We came back and got the result, and I think we deserved it.
“Let’s keep going. Even when we lost in Nottingham Forest we were trying to send the same message: keep going, move on.
“When we were drawing in Bournemouth it was a very good point but it was not enough to be 100% comfortable. Today we won and we’re happy we completed the match winning those three points.
“We are moving on because on Friday we will face Sheffield at home and it’s a new challenge. We have to try to keep consistent across 38 matches.
“We are in day 17 with two matches before we complete the first half of the season. We have to be consistent.”
It’s another important test passed for Villa, as we solidify our place in the top four in the Premier League standings and continue our impressive form deep into the season.
That said, Emery has reemphasised that point on several occasions over the past week or so, in that it’s still far too early to start looking ahead, and it’s important we regroup, recharge and prepare as best as possible for the next assignment.
Given our home form, the expectation will be that we’ll win on Friday too. However, that is part of the developing and evolving challenge for us now, as we deal with that expectation from within and outside of the club, and show we’re maturing, dealing with the experiences efficiently and effectively to maintain this form.
