Aston Villa came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday, and Unai Emery was delighted with his players for their efforts.
Giovani Lo Celso’s deflected effort put the hosts ahead after 22 minutes, during what was a frantic opening to the game where Villa were struggling to gain control and impose ourselves.
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While Ollie Watkins had an immediate response ruled out for offside, Pau Torres headed home our equaliser on the stroke of half-time in a decisive moment in the game, to ensure we went into the break level.
Watkins wasn’t to be denied as he put us ahead on the hour mark with a top finish, and although Villa were better in the second half and both sides still had chances to score, we were able to hold out and secure the victory.
It’s a win that moves us into the top four in the Premier League table, and it’s a crucial win on the road as we look to improve our away form to sustain our push to compete at the top of the standings.
As always, Emery would have seen areas in which we must still improve, but the Villa boss was pleased with the performance in a difficult game where we came under a lot of pressure from a top Tottenham side, despite their injury woes, and he was keen to praise Ange Postecoglu’s side too.
“Tough match. They are playing very well and they pushed us a lot, and we knew that we needed to be defensively strong to deal with the transition,” he told Sky Sports, as per the video below.
“Then when we were with the ball, trying to keep possession, but it’s not easy because they were pressing very good. But, in 90 minutes, we knew that they were taking chances, but we were as well taking opportunities to get into their box, set-pieces, transitions, sometimes as well keeping ball possession.
“In the second half, we could do something more, but then really an amazing match, amazing result against a team that is playing very, very good.”
"Good afternoon… tough match!" 😁
Unai Emery on Aston Villa's 2-1 win over Tottenham 💪 pic.twitter.com/pob2szvmuo
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 26, 2023
Meanwhile, speaking to the media in his post-match press conference, Emery was also keen to manage expectations and downplay our progress, as he insisted that the season is still long and other teams remain ahead of us as we try to contend for the top places.
Naturally, given his experience, winning mentality and ambition, there is no doubt that he is targeting success at Villa and so it might be a completely different message behind the scenes, but it’s the sensible approach to adopt to ensure we remain humble and focused on continuously improving.
That said, Emery was also keen to emphasise the need to enjoy this while we’re experiencing it, and so it’s just hoped that we can maintain this brilliant form as the season goes on, having now registered 22 wins in the Premier League in 2023, more than in any other calendar year.
“It is still the same in my mind, 38 matches,” he added. as per The Athletic. “We are in a good position in the table but we are not contenders. There are other seven teams who are contenders. We are not there. Yes there are top seven teams that are contenders more than us to be in Europe. Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal.
“Life is passing very quick! I enjoy each game. Even at Forest, I told the players I was very proud of them. Today we won but I am trying to keep balance with myself and the players. Now we go to Bournemouth and focus on three points.
“Enjoy the (league) position. We will continue being demanding and very focused each match. In 38 matches, there are still things to happen. But we have to be happy and enjoy where we are. We are going to analyse this match and improve tactically.”