Pre Match: Nice to see that 6th placed Manchester United’s Erik Ten Hag and Harry Maguire win Premier League manager and player of the month for November respectively.

Manchester United (8th) beat Fulham (14th) 1-0
Manchester United (6th) beat Luton (18th) 1-0
Manchester United (6th) beat Everton (19th) 3-0

Goals Scored 5
Average position of opposition 17th

Meanwhile over in B6 Unai Emery and 3rd placed Aston Villa could only achieve:

Aston Villa (5th) beat Fulham (16th) 3-1
Aston Villa (4th) beat Tottenham (5th) 2-1

Goals Scored 5
Average position of opposition 10th

Since then? Villa beat Manchester City (2nd) and Arsenal (1st). Manchester United beaten 3-0 at home by Bournemouth (13th).

Nothing to see here.

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“We had to rest a lot after the match on Wednesday. We played on Sunday and last Thursday too.

"The players at the beginning, we are not having a lot of information about some injuries. It is going to be important in the last day for the players to tell me how they are physically and mentally.

“It is a big motivation to be praised for the work we are doing. Praise is now important for us, but it is not to distract us in our objective. When it is coming the objective, we can wait until day 30 or 32 and if we are in the top four in that moment, I think we can then think maybe.

“We will then be contenders to be there. We have to be focused. The match finished on Wednesday and we enjoyed that moment with supporters in Villa Park. Again, it is a big challenge.

“I took experiences with my past in different countries and leagues. I had experiences with Arsenal in the Premier League and it was very important. My process as well as a coach is to try and always learn with the players I have and with the coaches working with me.

“Always I am trying to get the best professionals around me to try and add me more things with their point of view. The experiences I am having with everything is the most important thing to approach the past and the future.

“We are adding with some players as well experiences and experiences playing in Europe and lots of matches. It’s a big of practice for them as well and I am going to be very deep analysing the match tomorrow being in our hopefully better performances individually and collectively.

“How we finish the match on Wednesday is important because they did an amazing effort, but it was a hard effort. We want to play at this level playing against the best teams because we are in the Premier League, the best teams in the world. The challenge is really very hard but as well for our ambition, this is a very exciting moment with our supporters.

“These are rivals we want to play and face. Tomorrow is another step ahead playing against now the best team in this season in the Premier League, they are first in the table.

“Playing against them with a day less resting I think it is not an excuse for us. We have to adapt and we are professional and at the high level. We want to be there for a long time and we must think about taking an excuse after the match with whatever result we take.

“The most important is to rest well and have good food. As well, try to get a lot of information to face physically again tomorrow.

“With the supporters, it is clear for me. It is for them to transmit energy and our idea and style on the pitch. They are going to connect with us 100 per cent supporting us and being helping us and trying to help create a great atmosphere like on Wednesday. The energy is important from minute one to minute 90.

“I want to be, and it is my challenge every day, to be better today than yesterday and better tomorrow than today. I am not going to stop.

“It is to keep a balance too. We were playing very well against Man City, but I want to do some steps ahead thinking that we must stay at this level. We can remind ourself the last match before Man City, it was against Bournemouth and we were very close to losing.

“Of course, tomorrow is going to be difficult, we are confident at home and are feeling strong at Villa Park. Tomorrow is really, really a big challenge.

““It was amazing what they achieved in that moment [Leicester City winning the title in 2015-16]. It is very, very difficult. We are going to do our way and have our personality. We are going to build a team and in our style.

“We must be consistent and the mentality is important and that is that there is still a lot of work to do. There is another experience we will face against Arsenal.

“Really, our performance against Arsenal and after the match we can speak again how we are adding different moments in our capacity. Tomorrow is really the biggest challenge we are going to face yet.

“Of course, we have to dream always. I am dreaming and sometimes my dreams are very important for me as it’s an aspiration to get my best.”

Unai Emery, pre match.



“That was actually a really tough spell for us. We played Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday and I think it showed in our performance tonight, it wasn’t our best but I’m certainly not complaining.

“The second half was a bit of character, a bit of grit and fair play to the substitutes who’ve come on. A couple of them haven’t played for a long time and dug right in there.

“Arsenal have made a habit of scoring late goals and it was up to us to keep concentrated. What a monumental week it has been for us.

“We had the best of the first 20 minutes up until we scored. I don’t know what happened after that but Arsenal seemed to get a foot in the game, controlled it a lot more and they’re a top quality team so their manager adjusted a few things. Did it work? Maybe, maybe not. They had a lot of the ball but not too many clear cut chances.

“Credit to us for not playing as well as we did on Wednesday night but clean sheet against the two best teams in the league in my opinion and another huge win."

"I actually had an exact same chance in one of the Europa Conference League games. Leon has cut it across the exact same, I’ve tried to lay it off on my right foot.

"We’ve got a lot of staff behind the scenes who analyse that stuff and say if that happens again turn on your right and shoot with your left. Just in that split second I managed to do that

"I didn’t get the cleanest of strikes but it managed to go in the corner and I’m just delighted."

John McGinn.


"I'm feeling very, very good and very happy, we are connecting with our supporters and the positive energy transmits to us. Today we needed it because we were tired after the game on Wednesday.

"We competed well and had a strong defensive structure. We were speaking about the necessity to keep a clean sheet against City and Arsenal, it is amazing to keep them. Today we were lower than we wanted but we needed to compete and we did.

"We are increasing mentality and believing how we can be stronger and increase our communication. We will have a lot of work to do to increase more.

"We want to be in the top eight teams but a lot of teams want to be there. At the beginning there were seven top teams but we will fight to be in there. While we are in we can be excited and motivated to get it.

"Happy, I'm very happy. It was a tough match and we were tired, but we started the game well. They were imposing their position on the pitch, but our goalkeeper was amazing.

"We tried to defend and keep possession longer than we did. We competed and it was a fantastic three points in a tough week. We have to be happy but also keep balance.

"I've never achieved this [15 home league wins in a row] and I won't again in my future as a coach. But we have to try to understand we are competing well and the next challenge will be Sheffield United and another tough match.

"It is brilliant here at Villa Park with our supporters and how they are supporting us.

“In game 30-32 and if we are in the same position as now then maybe I can speak about it.

"At the start we are not a contender, it is only game 16. We are in (the top four) and must try to keep it. It is difficult, we are not dominating matches like we are here."

Unai Emery, post match.



“I thought we were better team and didn’t deserve to lose game at all but this is football.

"Clear and obvious.

"That's what I mean, clear and obvious. That's my opinion, that's all I can say.

"I will not speak about it anymore."

Mikel Arteta. Arsenal at their petty, petulant and utterly classless best.



"I thought it was a goal but I haven't seen it so don't want to say too much."

Kai Havertz makes a fool of himself off the pitch as well as on it.



“Very, very proud of the matches we played here. Winning in a row 15 matches, I have never been in this situation before and I don’t think I will win that many matches in a row again.

“We have to enjoy and we have to try to be proud and still be demanding like we are. We achieved it because the lost match we lost here was Arsenal. We demanded from ourselves to do a process after it. We tried to understand how we did this process and how we are now as a team

“The club is supporting and helping us, Wes and Nassef. As well, the supporters inside Villa Park. They are very important.

“To compete. I think they were two different matches because the response from us and them was different. They played Luton and we played Man City. We played well, settled very well in the high press and the medium block, we avoided them keeping possession. As well, we kept the ball more than normal against City.

“Today we started well and we repeated the first 15 minutes being in the same move we were on Wednesday. When we scored the goal we felt a bit tired and a few players I was watching them.

“It was a long 90 minutes for them. One example was Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans. They were asking me to sub them. Of course, we needed the players on the bench. Today, their impact was really important. We can focus like we did as a team, trying to understand everybody. The starting XI is important, but the bench must be ready to play and help when we need it. Today they did it.

“They were excited and I was thinking at the beginning to do some changes to the starting XI. The players were tired after Wednesday as it was a big effort. Yesterday I was speaking to the doctor and every player wanted to play today and they said they were perfect.

"After the match we played on Wednesday, it was normal to repeat the same XI. During the match today, I was watching and I had to be clinical to change my players.

“It is better for us because we deserve it. They are going to speak more about us but still being the same message to you and the supporters.

“We are still in there but still being seven teams being more contenders than us to get into the top seven. Of course, if we get to day 30, 32 and we are keeping the same position, maybe I can think and send another message.

“I think [against] every team we are different. At the beginning of course we lost a few matches and the teams close to us – Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham – have not lost a lot of matches. They’ve usually been winning as well and each one has their characteristics as a team and as players.

“Of course, when we played Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton [Wanderers] and Bournemouth it was very difficult for us. We are going to face next week Brentford as well and I know it’s going to be difficult – we have to respect them, trying to avoid their strengths and attack their weakness.

“We have to build a team, increase our level and get better. We are feeling very good and we are feeling strong with our supporters at home. I think we are increasing our level as well, playing with good positioning, keeping ball possession and trying to create a strong structure. But we still have a lot of work to do.

“Each match is a challenge for us. When we lost in Newcastle and when we lost at Liverpool, they were better than us. Of course, I am waiting in my mind for when they come here and how we can face them – how we could be in our capacity to face them. After those matches, we lost in Nottingham Forest as well and they were better.

“We won a lot of matches at home – against Brighton, Manchester [City], Arsenal. We won in Chelsea, we won in Tottenham. They are contenders more than us to be in the top seven positions. And then, when we are facing the contenders for the top seven, what is our reality when. Facing them and how can we be consistent in 38 matches.

“We have the possibility to finish in a better position than them but as well my challenge is coming. We are going to face them here.

“We will rest tomorrow and Monday. We will come back on Tuesday and prepare for the match on Thursday. In the Conference League, we did the first objective to be in, to qualify for the next round. We want to finish top of the group but we want to try and use different players.

"Sure, we will play different players but I’m not sure how many. We also have two players out for Sunday with suspensions – Douglas Luiz and Lucas Digne. That’s another reason to try and introduce other players.”

Unai Emery, post match.