Unai Emery, the head coach of Aston Villa, praised his players' tactical discipline and execution in their hard-fought victory against Newcastle United (1-0). This win marks a significant milestone for the Spanish manager, being his 100th in the Premier League.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Emery expressed his satisfaction with the team's commitment in what was a challenging away fixture:
It was a tough, hard match, but the victory is simply fantastic. The way we fought and defended at crucial moments, maintaining our structure as a team, is exactly the kind of dedication we needed.
We worked hard on this in prior games, analysing our actions and devising a game plan. As a result, we were able to dominate possession at times, impose our style and utilise our strengths, especially in quick transitions from defence to attack.
Overall, we controlled the match throughout the 90 minutes, especially during transitional phases, and we defended very reliably. We allowed our opponents almost no clear-cut chances and even had a great opportunity to score a second to put the game to bed.
The most important thing is how we are progressing, how we fight on the pitch, and understanding which aspects of our game we need to continue working on. The way we performed today deserves great respect.
This victory at St James' Park places Unai Emery in an exclusive club of managers who have attained 100 wins in the Premier League. However, the Villa boss was quick to shift the focus from his personal achievement to the busy schedule ahead, opting out of any celebrations.
Responding to a question about whether he enjoys the process of rebuilding teams and how he plans to celebrate his milestone, the Spaniard stated:
My job is to deliver results, win, and prepare the team for matches as best as I can.
Right now, all my thoughts are completely focused on the upcoming Champions League game on Wednesday, and then the home match against Manchester City on Saturday.
