Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was delighted with how his side performed in the 3-0 win against Brighton on Wednesday night.
The Villans needed to pick up a win to put themselves in a strong position to close in on a Champions League spot next season.
And they did it with style, netting three times with no reply on the South Coast.
It was a vintage Emery performance on the pitch, with Marcus Rashford netting another goal during his loan spell from Manchester United.
Assesing the game and his temporary winger, Emery said after the match: “Good evening. We compete very well. We are trying to reduce conceding goals because our numbers haven’t been very good this year.
“We achieved a clean sheet and today is fantastic for how we competed against a very good team. We had the chances to score in 90 minutes and were clinical. This is very important for us to try to reduce the distances in the table.”
Marcus' first in the Premier League for the Villa 😤 pic.twitter.com/7j2wYWDP3t
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 2, 2025
On Rashford, he added: “This is the challenge he has. He is getting better and feeling confident, understanding our demands. We are trying to get the best out of the players. His qualities and experience are very important in our squad. Each match he plays for us is very important.
“We are trying to get stronger than we did during the season in the Premier League. We have to try to get balance now.
“The players were committed to the demands we have and we can feel proud of how the players work today.”
