Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has called for perspective after his side suffered a 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur, a result that drew boos from the home fans during and after the match.
Conor Gallagher opened the scoring early for Tottenham, and Richarlison doubled the visitors' lead in the 25th minute. Emi Buendia pulled one back for Villa in the 96th minute, but it was too little, too late. The loss means Villa have now lost three consecutive matches for the first time since November 2024.
In his post-match press conference, Emery was asked about the fans' reaction. "I am here for more than three years, and how we have done everything, I don't forget it," Emery said. "We spoke in the dressing room after the first half about it. How we are getting it, during the process we have been on here, and how we want to continue in the way."
Emery emphasised the need to stay focused on the bigger picture. "We can perform better or worse, but overall how we are we analyse the process and how we did it. I am not losing my mind and my point of view about how I want to get it. We lost today because Tottenham performed better than us. They are a very good team. For different circumstances they are not fighting where we are, but we must be realistic about everything."
Emery also acknowledged the team's struggles in the first half but praised their reaction after the break. "The second half we reacted, but it wasn't enough. The second half, how we played, we must try and get it as a reaction we need for the next matches."
Looking ahead, Villa have a crucial Europa League semi-final second leg to prepare for. "It's another team. It's something different. We are going to try to prepare for this game, getting our best."
The defeat leaves Villa in a challenging position in the league, but Emery remains determined to guide the team through this difficult period.
