'Villa's next test is against Barcelona' – Emery refuses to dwell on Fulham draw

Unai Emery stressed after the 1-1 Premier League draw with Fulham that Aston Villa's "full focus is on the next game" and that they face "a big test against Barcelona".

In-form striker Nicolas Jackson put Villa ahead, but an own goal from Zion Suzuki meant the points were shared at Villa Park. John McGinn failed to convert a penalty for Aston Villa, while Pau Torres also squandered two clear chances in the closing stages.

Suzuki became the first Aston Villa goalkeeper to score an own goal in the Premier League since Emiliano Martínez against Liverpool in May 2024, and the first Asian goalkeeper in the league's history to do so.

Even so, Villa are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches (W3 D2). With two huge fixtures ahead, Emery told his players they must look forward. Before the international break, Villa travel to Barcelona in the Champions League and then visit Manchester United at Old Trafford in the league.

Reflecting on the match, Emery said: "It's a disappointing result, but a fair one. In the first half we tried to dominate the game and to disrupt their build-up from the back with a high press. Most of the time we managed to do that. At times they broke our press and created one or two chances, but Zion Suzuki made the saves. We had opportunities, we won a penalty and we scored a goal. Overall, in the first half we played the way we wanted. Even though the draw is a disappointment, it's a fair result and we have to keep going. The next test is against Barcelona on Tuesday, and then we have Manchester United. So this is not the time to stop and look back. We are building the team and we keep working to improve."

Fulham, unbeaten in their last three league matches (W2 D1), saw manager Álvaro Arbeloa express his satisfaction with the performance against strong opposition. Arbeloa said: "What mattered to me was how we played away from home against a Champions League team. My players believe in the football we play; they fight, they improve and they work. I hope we are at the start of a long journey. We can do better, and we will work every day to achieve that."