Aston Villa sent Nottingham Forest to a 2-0 defeat at Villa Park as the Reds' Premier League survival bid suffered another setback.
Forest are back in the bottom three on goal difference after losing to Unai Emery's side. In contrast, Villa are now up to sixth following a sixth win in seven matches.
Bertrand Traore opened the scoring for the home side, before Ollie Watkins sealed the victory deep into stoppage-time at the end of the game. Here's what Emery had to say in his post-match press conference...
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Unai, you must be really pleased? It’s six wins in seven games…
Good evening. Yes, very happy, above all for our fans because we’re winning at home. Clean sheet. We scored two goals in each of the last four matches now. We’re going up in the table but we have to take balance as well with the difficulty we have in front. Today, the match was the same as we were thinking, very difficult. We share our moments with our supporters here, winning, playing a competitive match. We improved on some things and took more information to continue on our way to build as a team and in our ideas.
You had to work for it at times, does that make it all the more pleasing for you?
Yes, of course. It’s about the result first but we want to create a way how we can feel better and be competitive and closer to winning each match. Today was a match to be passionate, to defend well and to try and impose our idea on the pitch. Progressively we did better as the match went on. We win 2-0 and it was amazing, the atmosphere, that moment when Watkins scored that second goal.
You spoke about it on Tuesday but did you ever expect to make this kind of progress this season given you’re now sixth in the division?
We are winning. We are adding a new target in our way. We started trying to escape from the bottom. We did it. We tried to be in the top 10 and now we are there but another target we have is to go to Europe.
But to go to Europe we have to face other teams who are playing very well. For example, we are now sixth but it’s not real because Brighton have two matches less than us, Liverpool as well and we have to wait for their results and then of course we are going to think to be ambitious but realistic as well. Now, we can add a new target for the next match; it’s to win and we can be with the possibilities to get the European position.
I know you’ve said it’s going to be tough but you can’t be going into these last eight games with much more confidence… It’s incredible.
Yes, yes. The last six or seven matches we were speaking because before we lost three matches and conceded 11 goals. Our response after that to improve was really good from the players. The confidence now comes when you are winning and when you are being comfortable on the pitch; sometimes defensively like against Chelsea or keeping the ball like against Leicester. Today, it was very difficult to progress. I spoke to the players to be passionate and to try to keep ball possession longer than we do usually because [Forest] were waiting in the middle trying to take our mistakes and take the transition. We didn’t concede it and defensively today was one thing I was very happy with.
Ollie Watkins might get the headlines again after scoring but how happy have you been with Tyrone and Ezri? How good are they as a pair?
Yes, we are very happy for Ollie and Emiliano Martinez because he keeps clean sheet. But thinking about the goalkeeper and striker, we have other players in the middle. They are very, very important as well.
How’s Leon (Bailey)? Hamstring?
Yes, Leon, hamstring. Hopefully it’s not a big injury.
Unai, we’re seeing a team playing without pressure, there’s almost a freedom amongst the team…
Pressure is there when you’re in the bottom and you have to win. Pressure was when I was here playing against Manchester United! I remember that moment and I was a little bit under pressure!! Not now, not now. But I like it and I grew up playing under pressure as a coach. I like this, playing against the best, being very, very determined because you are playing for something to win. I want to share with the players; it’s not pressure and it’s to be ambitious and to get to being competitive to being stronger and stronger.
Can you feel that the crowd’s changed compared to when you first joined?
The crowd are very excited and are trying to support us. I told them before, the idea before is to understand how we can play; how we want to impose and create our style. We want to be supported with this idea we want to do. The only objective is to win. When we win we connect with our supporters.
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