'Little bit shocked' - Aston Villa boss addresses Brighton goal controversy and lauds travelling support

Aston Villa won 4-3 away at Brighton and Hove Albion last time out. Striker Ollie Watkins scored twice against the Seagulls at the AMEX Stadium. Meanwhile, midfielder Amadou Onana and attacker Donyell Malen also managed to get themselves on the score sheet in Sussex.

Unai Emery’s side are positioned in 3rd place in the Premier League table after 14 fixtures. They are inside the top four along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea as they look to get back into the Champions League this season. They missed out in the last campaign and had to make do with Europa League football instead.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery reacts to Brighton and Hove Albion win

Aston Villa boss Emery has admitted he was a ‘little bit shocked’ by Brighton’s second goal against his team on Wednesday night. They went 2-0 down against the Seagulls in the first half before battling back. The Spaniard has also suggested the corner that led to their opponents’ opener was the wrong decision.

Speaking after the game, he said: “How we reacted, how we didn’t give up after the first and second goals was fantastic. Maybe their first goal wasn’t a corner but we conceded one goal. When we were, more or less, a little bit shocked they scored the second goal and we needed to react, we needed to get our game plan.”

“And when we scored our first goal, we kept balance and we were trying to dominate, trying to adapt competing against them, and we scored the second goal. The first half was fantastic how we achieved this result. The second half, again, we were keeping our game plan and, of course, it was a very tough match, a very difficult match. But the players responded fantastic.”

Emery also heaped praise on the travelling fans: “I’m very thankful for our supporters. They were here today, Wednesday, 7.30pm, travelling from Birmingham to be with us, to support us, to help us. They are very important because the players felt it, how they were pushing and helping us. It gives us a lot of motivation, as well to feel excited to try to share our wishes, their wishes, together, and their energy.”

Who do Aston Villa play next?

Aston Villa are back in action on Saturday with a tricky home clash against Arsenal. Their upcoming opponents are top of the league and are eyeing the title under Mikel Arteta. The Gunners beat Brentford 2-0 in their last outing and have proved to be a tough nut to crack this term.

Nevertheless, Emery’s men will be in confident mood. They have been in fine form of late and will be in good spirits, especially after their victory at Brighton. Watkins will be relieved to have struck a brace against the Seagulls and will aim to hit the goal trial after a dry campaign overall so far.

Aston Villa will get the chance to freshen up their ranks with some signings in the January transfer window. They would benefit from some more competition and depth up top for Watkins as they look to maintain their current streak of positive results. They will also get the opportunity to let some players head out the exit door as well this winter if needed to free up space and funds. Loan pair Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott are both facing uncertain futures right now.