"We're Below Our Expectations" – Emery Warns Aston Villa After Manchester City Win

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery kept expectations in check after the win over Manchester City, saying: "We are improving, but we are still below our own expectations."

Emery's side claimed a 2-1 victory at Villa Park thanks to a goal in each half from Nicolas Jackson.

Jackson punished costly errors from the City defence on both occasions. Just 6 minutes in, the Senegalese striker latched onto a pass from John McGinn and capitalised on a mistake by Marc Guehi to put his side ahead.

Erling Haaland levelled the score early in the second half, but Villa turned another City error to their advantage. Jackson's shot slipped through the hands of Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the net to seal the win.

Speaking after the match, Emery said: "We are improving, but because we started the season so badly, we are still behind the targets we set at the start of the season."

The Spanish coach continued: "Right now we are in a process of development and we are getting better. We analysed the Arsenal match we played at home; we competed well, but it was not enough. We assessed the Forest match at home; we lost and our performance was very poor. At home against Brentford we corrected many things, we were better, but again it was not enough. Today, with everything we have been working on to raise our standards, we took a step forward. We are making progress in the league, but we are still below expectations."

Villa became the first team to beat City in three consecutive Premier League matches since Liverpool's run in December 2016.

Meanwhile, since Emery took charge in November 2022, Villa have won 5 of their 8 league meetings with Manchester City (3 defeats). No team has recorded as many wins against City as Villa over that period.

Emery concluded: "We planned this match with the aim of maintaining the same consistency and high expectations. This is exactly the level we want to reach and sustain. Today was a great test for us. I was very excited to see how our players would respond to this challenge. After the match, we now need to focus on improving step by step. When we need them, our players will give the team the contribution it requires. Today was a step forward, and that is entirely our perspective."