Villa thank Emery for European tour
Captain John Mcginn did not need many words to get a huge roar from the celebrating Aston Villa fans as he took the microphone on the pitch after this victory and simply said: “Get your passports, see you in Europe.”
Villa will play European football for the first time in 13 years and just four years since Mcginn was part of the team who clinched promotion to the Premier League through the Championship play-offs.
It might be the Europa Conference League, the third tier of European football, but the Villa fans who have been starved of continental trips for over a decade do not care.
And they have head coach Unai Emery to thank for an astonishing turnaround in which Villa were transformed from relegation candidates under Steven Gerrard to challenging for Europe.
Emery, so underappreciated at Arsenal, was treated like a rock star when he re-entered the pitch after the final whistle, and the Spaniard promised supporters this was just the first step. Asked how he would celebrate, Emery said: “With a glass of champagne, this is a champagne moment.”
By the end of this seventh successive home victory, which equalled a club record and clinched seventh place in the table ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, Mcginn could barely run, such was the effort he and his team-mates had put in.
Mcginn was one of Villa’s best performers on a day when Jacob Ramsey assisted both of the home team’s goals, scored by the club’s player of the season, Douglas Luiz, and top scorer Ollie Watkins.
“We have worked hard and now it’s important to celebrate,” Emery said. “Europe was not the first objective when I joined, but it’s amazing to share the moment with the fans and the players. Now we have another trophy to play for and I think the fans will enjoy seeing the team play in Europe and in different countries.”
Asked if he had proved a point in terms of his own ability to Premier League fans after being sacked by Arsenal, Emery added: “I have been a coach in Spain, Russia, Paris and at Arsenal, and it’s the same, you have to win. I never felt disrespect from the people here [in England].”
Deniz Undav scored for Brighton, for whom defeat did not matter as Europa League qualification had already been sealed. But, as Villa celebrated at the final whistle, Alexis Mac Allister, who is expected to move to Liverpool, was in tears and had to be consoled by teammates and Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.
“That can be the last game of Alexis and Moises Caicedo,” said De Zerbi. “I am really sorry because they are two great people and two great players, but the policy of Brighton is like this. I think it’s right they can play at a higher level.”