Aston Villa fans have reacted to Unai Emery’s comments following the Villans’ FA Cup exit to Chelsea at Villa Park on Wednesday evening.
Aston Villa were dealt a hammer blow by Chelsea in the fourth-round replay of the FA Cup last night as Unai Emery’s side were outplayed 3-1 at home by the Blues.
It was a night that dealt the Spaniard a harsh slap of reality after the highs of the Premier League thrashing of Sheffield United on Saturday, with performance levels dramatically dropping in the cup.
The manager faced the media after the loss and gave his evaluation of the showing he saw unfold at Villa Park, however not everyone agreed with the 52-year-old’s comments.
What Unai Emery had to say after Aston Villa’s loss to Chelsea
From the first whistle, the hosts looked below par in comparison to the Blues, who seemed fully charged after being tormented by Wolves in their fixture prior, although Emery managed to find some areas of positivity from the game.
“We competed well. We were excited and motivated. We were feeling good, but when they got in the box or broke the press, they were clinical. As well, they deserved to win. The second half, we tried to be more strong, but we lost more balls than normal.”
On paper, the numbers suggested a far closer game than what was visible on the night, with a 49% to 51% split on possession and both sides recording 15 shots on goal, via Sofascore.
Chelsea’s two first-half goals left a sense of settlement just 21 minutes into the tie, as the Blues continued to threaten from Villa’s sloppy play all over the pitch.
What Villa fans thought of Unai Emery’s comments
Reacting to Emery’s assessment, the popular Twitter fan account ‘TheAVFCFaithful’ admitted that they didn’t share the manager’s opinions on his side’s performance.
“Not very often I disagree with an Emery comment post-match, but I didn’t think we competed well at times. Was far too easy for them.”
Another fan reacted to the Spaniard’s comment by saying: “He must have been watching a different game,” opening discussion over the display at Villa Park.
What is notable about Emery is that he would never opt to slander his players publicly, with many responding to his comments with the assumption that scenes would have been different ‘behind closed doors’.
With Manchester United up next in the Premier League, Villa will hope to move on swiftly from the disappointment of a premature cup exit with the blockbuster fixture handing a significant chance of redemption on Sunday.
