What Unai Emery told Aston Villa’s players after Manchester United comeback at Old Trafford

What Unai Emery told Aston Villa’s players after Manchester United comeback at Old Trafford

Centre back Clement Lenglet said that following Aston Villa’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day evening, manager Unai Emery reminded his team of the calibre of the Premier League.

Villa gave up three goals in the second half after leading 2-0 at the half, giving United what appeared to be an impossible victory for a while. Alejandro Garnacho scored twice, while Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal to cap off an incredible comeback victory for the Reds.

Villa’s choice to stick with a high defensive line helped end United’s goal drought, which had now gone over seven hours, with Garnacho’s first goal of the game. The visitors chose not to attempt to hold their two-goal advantage, which allowed United to frequently breach their defence.

When they have gaps to exploit, United can usually damage teams, and that’s exactly what happened. Lenglet gave a hint about what Emery told his players after the full-time whistle, implying that Villa, who were tied with Liverpool at the top of the table at halftime, had adopted the incorrect strategy in the second half.

“I’m not sure if we were too comfortable, but I think we started to play more behind,” Lenglet said. “We could have performed better and needed to be more organised.

“This serves as a reminder that the standard in the Premier League is really high, the manager stated following the match. You expect the unexpected when visiting a place like Manchester United.

“You should attempt to defend a 2-0 advantage in order to win. It irritates me.

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