Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has expressed satisfaction with his side’s display in their hard-earned 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, boosting their chances of qualifying for Europe ahead of next season.
Tale of the match
Villa headed into Saturday’s clash on the back of consecutive defeats to Manchester City and Crystal Palace, as they hoped to secure a win to close the gap on the top five.
Youri Tielemans gave the hosts a perfect start when he headed in a corner from John McGinn in the 12th minute, as Unai Emery’s men went into the break ahead.
Ollie Watkins missed a chance to double the advantage before Ryan Sessegnon thought he had equalized for the visitors after he beat Emiliano Martinez, although the goal was ruled out for a handball in the buildup.
January signing Donyell Malen struck the crossbar in stoppage time as Aston Villa held on to three points, to move level on points with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea on 60 points.
What Emery said:
Speaking after the match, Emery stated: “If we weren’t winning today, forget it completely. Today, we got more or less close to Europe. Wow, fantastic, brilliant. The best gift we can achieve after it is the Europa League or Champions League.
Champions League, okay, we are going to try to get it, but we are not contenders. We are not favourites to get it because there is Nottingham Forest in front of us, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle”, he added.
“But we will fight for it – Europe, and hopefully we can fight for the Champions League.”
Can Villa qualify for Europe?
Aston Villa remain seventh on the log, although they are level on points with Chelsea in fifth, with the Blues facing Champions Liverpool on Sunday.
Unai Emery’s men must win their last three fixtures of the season, to stand a chance of qualifying for Europe at the end of the season.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
