According to Unai Emery, Aston Villa needs to adapt to the pressure of being considered potential title contenders, especially after Mikel Arteta praised their abilities. Just three days after defeating reigning champions Manchester City, Villa secured a 1-0 victory over Arsenal, extending their unbeaten home league record to 15 wins. This puts them only two points behind current leaders Liverpool and one point behind Arsenal. After the match, Villa’s top scorer and captain, John McGinn, joked that he is banning the use of the “T-word” in the team.
When asked if his team could handle the increased attention on their potential title win, Emery responded by saying that it is actually beneficial for them. He believes that their current position is well-deserved and that there will be more discussion about their success. However, his message to his players, the media, and the supporters will remain the same – they need to stay excited and motivated. While they are currently in third place, there are still seven other teams who are considered stronger competitors for a top seven spot. Emery plans to send a similar message if they are still in the same position around the 30th or 32nd game of the season.
McGinn declared his decision to disallow the use of the T-word. With only 16 weeks into the game, there is still a significant amount of time left. He expressed his admiration for those who have been in similar positions for many years and acknowledged their experience. As newcomers, can his team maintain their current performance? It remains to be seen. McGinn hopes that with revised targets, they can continue to strive for improvement, especially in their away matches. While their away record is not terrible, there is room for enhancement.
During the match, Arteta refrained from commenting on the officials’ choices to not give Arsenal a penalty in the second half and to disallow a goal in the 90th minute. Arteta was puzzled by Jarred Gillett’s decision to not award a penalty when Douglas Luiz recklessly took out Gabriel Jesus, causing him to kick his fellow Brazilian’s heel inside the penalty area.
The manager of Arsenal was left to watch helplessly from the stands as the video assistant referee, Michael Salisbury, examined Gillett’s ruling to deny Eddie Nketiah’s goal in the 90th minute. Kai Havertz was deemed guilty of handball after competing with Matty Cash for Martin Ødegaard’s cross. Arteta stated that he had a strong viewpoint on the penalty call but declined to elaborate further.
McGinn scored in the seventh minute, which proved to be the deciding goal. Despite this, Emiliano Martínez, a former Arsenal goalkeeper, made some impressive saves and Arsenal’s captain, Ødegaard, was one of many who missed important opportunities. Arteta expressed disappointment, stating that he believed Arsenal deserved a better outcome. He also noted that they had not seen a team dominate Aston Villa like they did since their victory in February.
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We were unable to secure a victory because we were not precise enough in the opponents’ territory to successfully score with the numerous opportunities we created.
Source: theguardian.com
