'His commitment is massive' - Unai Emery hails 'angry' Aston Villa star who shone in win at Newcastle United

Unai Emery singled out an Aston Villa star for special praise after his side’s precious 2-0 victory away at Newcastle United.

The Villans finally ended their St. James’ Park hoodoo on Sunday afternoon, winning away at Newcastle in the Premier League for the very first time since 2005. Travelling Villa supporters have effectively resigned themselves to defeat on Tyneside for the past two decades, enduring a long run of 17 matches without a single victory. But that changed today.

Ollie Watkins scored a terrific header from a Lucas Digne cross late on to make sure of the points but it was the opening goalscorer, Emiliano Buendia, who really stole the show. The Argentine, who was very nearly sold at the beginning of last summer following an average loan at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, has really revived himself so far this campaign.

Emery hails ‘angry’ Villa gem

It’s not easy to prove yourself to a perfectionist such as Emery, especially when Villa so often need to sacrifice players in the transfer market to adhere to a host of financial regulations, but Buendia has managed to turn the tide. From serious knee injuries to being left out of the matchday squad and being shipped out on loan, Buendia has somehow flipped his story on its head.

A starter in each of Villa’s last four matches across all competitions and a regular throughout October, November and December, Buendia has been completely revitalised. The Argentine scored a cracker away at Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup recently and he backed that up with another scorcher at Newcastle, scoring a 25-yard belter to open the scoring.

There was no saving Buendia’s dipping effort and Emery looked thrilled on the touchline when it hit the back of the net. Those emotions carried over into the post-match press conference as Emery gave plenty of kudos to Villa’s number 10.

“Emiliano Buendia’s commitment is massive,” Emery said. “He is playing angry to get his best, to compete with the wish of me being proud of him. And I am.”

‘Fantastic’ squad not ignored

It wasn’t just Buendia who received praise as many other players were name-dropped in front of the media. Emery’s favourite adjective in the English language has long been ‘fantastic’, and it was used on many on occasion in the St. James’ Park press room.

Emery said: “Emi Martinez fantastic, centre-backs fantastic, full-backs fantastic. Amadou (Onana) fantastic in how he fought today. Ollie Watkins, how he fought against the centre-backs... wow... fantastic. (Jadon) Sancho, (Leon) Bailey, fantastic.”

Not only was Villa’s result against the Toon significant in finally putting an end to struggles in that part of the world, it also gained a highly significant three points. Emery still insists Villa are not in the title race, but supporters cannot be blamed for dreaming, especially as the gap to Arsenal is now only four points thanks to Manchester United’s 3-2 win at the Emirates.

If Villa are still in the fight when the magic gameweek 34 rocks around, maybe Emery will begin to dream. But until then, the Spaniard is remaining humble and focused on taking it one game at a time.