'After the issues' - Unai Emery gives ‘clinical’ Aston Villa verdict as Douglas Luiz admission made

Unai Emery has lauded his “clinical” Aston Villa side after they thrashed Sheffield United 5-0 at Bramall Lane.

A ruthless first-half performance saw Villa earn a four-goal advantage at the break. John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans did the damage before half-time before Alex Moreno added a fifth after the restart.

The second half was ultimately a training session for Emery’s side as they reasserted their Champions League ambitions. With Tottenham Hotspur conceding a stoppage-time equaliser to Everton, a trip to Bramall Lane presented a golden opportunity to reclaim their top-four spot.

That is exactly what the Villans did - in ruthless style - with Watkins earning man of the match in our BirminghamWorld player ratings. Speaking after the game, Villa boss Emery hailed his troops for a ruthless Premier League display.

"I'm happy because before the match we were very focused on reacting (to Newcastle defeat)," he said. "We scored goals, created chances and stopped them. Winning away is difficult.

“It was better than we were thinking at the beginning - we were clinical. We conceded two good chances at the end of the match. Emiliano always wants to keep clean sheets, like a striker (with goals).

"They were playing at home and started very well, they created the first chances. We stopped them. We were breaking their pressure and creating spaces. We have to try to focus on each match. We're really happy. Our aggression was fantastic."

Emery also hailed Douglas Luiz for his display despite failing ill ahead of the game. The Brazilian set up the second goal and played a killer ball for the first to get Villa off to a flyer.

"He didn't feel very well this morning but he wanted to play and had the power to play and get the performance to help the team,” the Spaniard added. “I decided to change him to take care of him and rest after the issues."