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UNAI EMERY LIFTS LID ON HOW VILLA’S RAISED DEMANDS FUEL WINS

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery warns his team not to relax ahead of their trip to Liverpool. After a strong turnaround, he demands focus and consistency to face the "incredibly hard to stop" Reds at Anfield in a crucial Premier League clash.

Unai Emery lifts lid on how Villa’s raised demands fuel wins
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery - (Barrington Coombs/PA) (PA Wire)

Regarding the Aston Villa turnaround, Unai Emery shared his opinions.

With a disciplined performance that put an end to Erling Haaland's scoring run, the Villans defeated Man City 1-0 over the weekend, extending their winning streak to four Premier League games. The players should not be afraid when they go to Liverpool, the defending champions.

The Spaniard is aware that his team cannot unwind after going five games without a victory at the beginning of the calendar. However, they arrive at Anfield with a winning record and the same number of points as the Reds.

"Our collective performances, as well as the fact that we are growing and scoring more points than we did in the first half of the season, are crucial. It indicates that both the players and our tactical performance are improving. Compared to our first month in the Premier League, the outcomes are better.

Relaxing is something we must avoid right now, as, although we are at a nice place, it is insufficient.

"In the discussions and training sessions, we raised our expectations. A month ago, we had a terrible moment, and our performances were subpar, so I was concerned about how we were doing.

"I was really anxious. I expressed my concerns to the players and looked for answers. We were putting a lot of effort into recovering from our poor performance. As time goes on, we are improving. We have a problem right now: if we relax because we are performing better, we can become confused.

"My current concern is trying to be extremely demanding and maintain our consistency from our previous games. We must be extremely demanding, clinical, and concentrated in all we do tomorrow if we are to compete at Liverpool's level.

I hold them in the highest regard. Although there may be times when they do not perform well, the coach demonstrated his ability and experience previous season. They were an incredible squad last year. I think they had a great tactical impact and won the Premier League.

They are making adjustments and strengthening the team, even though they have the same coach and better players this year. Although they have excellent players on their own, it will take them some time to become powerful and at ease with their current group. I have a great deal of respect for you, and I am aware that getting anything there will be quite challenging. We must be clinical and give it our all, both individually and tactically.

"Tomorrow will be extremely crucial because of our dedication in the previous games and our good game plan. They are incredibly hard to stop. Like us, they have some injuries. I am energised and thrilled, but I am much more enthused about the challenges we will encounter in opposing them.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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