Unai Emery gave an unpleasant post-match interview after Aston Villa were defeated 3-2 by Manchester United in the second half.
The Aston Villa manager began his interview bluntly and tentatively, punctuated by thoughtful chin rubs and awkward laughs.
He had just seen his team’s 2-0 lead shattered by a flurry of second-half brilliance from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund, as Manchester United fought back to win in dramatic fashion.
Villa were on course for a win after goals from John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker put them joint top of the Premier League.
Despite their second-half collapse, Emery was not about to listen to negative chatter.
‘Now you’re asking me in another direction!’ he laughed. Good, good, only tonight’s analysis. Fantastic sixty minutes. Fantastic.’
Villa had emerged as a surprise Premier League title contender after victories over Manchester City and Arsenal, but they followed a stalemate against lowly Sheffield United by losing a 2-0 lead against Man United.
The setback was their first since November 5 and puts Aston Villa in third place, although Emery opened up about the game after a terse start to the interview.
The Spaniard was eager to concentrate on the lessons his side could learn from the game.
‘Manchester United, after they scored the first goal, the fans here came back, the atmosphere, pushing them,’ he remarked. They also have some really good players.
‘Of course, we had to be demanding while also welcoming. Manchester United, for example, may come back like they did.
‘I want to analyze this match with the first 60 minutes we played, which were excellent. Then, of course, we must learn from our mistakes and strive to grow in order to reach the level we desire.
‘Now our players are gaining experience. Manchester United, the players, the club, and the team have more experience than us, having spent more time at the top level. We proceed. In the end, we were quite sad, but we accepted it and tried to analyze our entire first half of the season.’
Villa are comfortably in the top four, having won 15 consecutive games at Villa Park before being held to a 1-1 draw by Sheffied United last week.
Their astonishing performances have obviously sparked discussion of a title challenge, but Emery has tempered expectations, insisting that other clubs are still more likely to win.
‘Now you can ask me if we’re a trophy or a title challenger,’ he said. [Are you sure?] No, but not now; I was thinking the same thing two weeks ago. Why? They are more contenders than us since we are playing seven elite teams.
‘Of course, we are consistent and better than a lot of teams in the top position, but we have 19 matches today, and today we wasted a fantastic opportunity to be consistent in our approach against them.’
The presence of the top ten teams.
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