"It's very special. On a night like this it's even more special. To get the win, to score the goal, it's a magnificent feeling.

"I can't put it into words how I feel right now. We showed great character and worked extremely hard to get these three points.

"I struggled during my first season but I knew what I was capable of. People believed in me. I'm here to help as much as possible, and I'm so grateful to be able to do that.

"[Unai Emery] has been amazing. His way of doing things is different. He knows exactly what he wants. Day in and day out he knows what he's doing to help up get the three points.

"It was a great game. A great night for the fans. A great night for Aston Villa."

"I've always said to myself, we shouldn't be looking at titles, instead take things one step at a time. We should remain humble and put in the work every day.

"Then we focus on the challenge ahead.

"Come the end of the season we'll see what happens at the end."

Leon Bailey.


“It's very good but we have to believe that we are now in the top four more or less, but even now we are not content, battling with other teams. If we can keep taking this process and winning of course we have to believe.

"We have to be excited but we need to keep the balance. For now we have to be focused on Arsenal on Saturday. I want us to be a team with a winning mentality and be balanced.

"We are aware of where we are in the table. But behind us is Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham and it is going to be very difficult. But of course we are focusing each match, and trying to be competitive. The last match against Bournemouth we nearly lost. We have to be consistent.

"Of course at home we are very good. The supporters, the 12th player, are behind us.

“[Leon Bailey]’s an amazing player and the way he played tonight, he was fantastic tonight. He's an amazing player. He has to be consistent. If he plays like that all the time he's amazing. He's been more committed. Now he's increased.

"We are trying to be aggressive here at home, trying to get more possession than normal against Manchester City. The key was to respect them but also to be ambitious as well when we face them.

"They are very good players and when I arrived here they were very good players. But sometimes you need a comfortable atmosphere. Then you have to use the right players and their skills in the right combination.

"John McGinn is the sample of it. He's a fantastic man and captain. On the pitch he is smiling but he is also so responsible.

"Firstly I am very happy because our supporters were connected with us, fantastic. I want to extend it to Saturday. Connect with them. Of course we will try to be competitive against Arsenal because they will impose a lot.

"We have to play against Arsenal on Saturday, maybe we can rest for two days and try to enjoy the moment. Now, we have to be focused. I want to do this a step ahead being as a team with the winning mentality and trying to keep balance, but we are now preparing for the match on Saturday.

"We want to try to play here together and we want to prepare for the match professionally and try to be competitive against Arsenal because they know a lot about us. We want to impose our style and our supporters will help is in what we are doing.

"We have to keep balance.

”It is a good victory. We have to believe now, more or less we are in the top four, but even now, we are not contenders and comparing with other teams.

"But if we are now here and we can take this process like we are doing and being there, of course we have to believe. We have to be excited but as well be balanced.

"Playing against Man City, who won the title, Champions League too. It’s a difficult challenge to take control of the game for 90 minutes but we did it.

"We created lots of chances and we controlled the attack in the high press. We were believing. In my career, hopefully more in the next weeks, months and years I can continue improving as a coach and with the team I am trying to build.

"Today was fantastic but we must keep a balance. The dressing room is happy, but the next challenge is on Saturday. Tomorrow we are focusing again on Saturday.

"We did the high press and being at home we are being successful as well more than less. We have to be organised doing it and against City too, trying to recover the ball from their players with the confidence they are playing with is difficult. We were working and being demanding doing it. We were very organised and we did a fantastic job doing it.

"20 years ago when I started as a coach and I started playing against Pep Guardiola always I like to prepare matches against the best teams, players and coaches. When you are playing in the high level we are, the opportunities are there. Beating him, for me, is not something special, it is really a process as a coach that I am doing myself.

"We are not contenders, there are seven teams more contenders. This is day 15, day 16 is against Arsenal. We must focus. We are happy to be third, but to keep it, it will be very difficult. While we are there we will try to keep it.

"Firstly, we will rest and try to recover the players. We need full energy and in Villa Park, we must create a strong atmosphere. They are transmitting to us their energy. We will try to play good football as a team tactically and individually too.

"Then, trying to impose our game plan which against Man City was very difficult, but we did it more than less. Through it, we deserved to win. We created chances, we avoided having chances against us. We avoided corners of them offensively. Tonight the work of us was fantastic. The job from the players was a very good job.

“There are a lot of teams contenders at the beginning and we are in the day 15, there are still a lot of matches to play. If we keep it progressing during the season – playing matches and winning like we are doing – maybe we can get to be contenders but not now. I think we need more time. We can believe but we are not contenders because there are seven teams that at the beginning were contenders. Maybe it will change on day 30, maybe 32. Not yet.

“I can come back in my mind and think how we were when we started this process. We lost against Leicester and Arsenal at home, 4-2. We couldn’t concede eight goals in two matches at home like we did. It was a key moment when we reacted in a meeting with the players, focusing more our idea and our style, building and being very demanding in it. I think the players, they reacted very well and the way we did, we started doing in that moment, I think we are still being very demanding and keeping it.

“Next Saturday [is my focus]. Today of course, before the match we were thinking if we can win, lose or draw, it’s being different. Winning we are excited to play against Arsenal on Saturday – against the leaders.

"Our players have to be involved in the process. One of them is Moussa Diaby but Moussa Diaby is playing well, very well. His adaptation is going well but there is still more time to get more performances individually. He played tonight the last 20 minutes and he was very focused on the idea, keeping the process.

“He’s in the process of adaptation with us. We are very happy with him. We are in the process with the team to build, to create a strong structure with the players and of course there are players sometimes in this starting XI more or less.”

Unai Emery.


"My feeling today is we're going to win the Premier League.

"If we play at the levels that we showed against Liverpool and Tottenham, we're going to win it again.

"People don't believe it already after three draws but we feel we're going to do it again, knowing that it is not easy because no team has done it yet [won four in a row].

"The difficulty is there and was last season but, if you ask me today what I'm feeling, we're going to do it again.

"Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think it's about complacency. I know the players, I know how they run. How we behave is extraordinary.

“I learn that if you want to win something you have to do it much, much better than the opponents."

Pep Guardiola is his usual charming, modest self.


"We never use these kind of situations [a decision from the officials in the game versus Tottenham]. Today the motivation is to try and do better.

"Sometimes decisions help you, sometimes they don’t.”

Pep Guardiola keeps a straight face.