"We love football, we love our work and to be successful.

"We want to achieve individually and collectively our objectives. One of them of course is to play in the Champions League. We are there in this moment but I want to keep it for a long time. It is difficult.

"Maybe sometimes you can have some problems but we have to be resilient in case they are coming. We have to be strong in our idea and in our mind, to create a strong mentality to try to break barriers always.

"The most important thing is for us how we are increasing our demands and with those getting the objectives we are facing each year.

"Two years ago we avoided a risk of relegation and even had time to get a position in the Conference League which was amazing in the first seven months we had here.

"Last year we continued our process and we increased a lot our demands, getting the Chamoions League. The challenge is to get better every day and now how can we keep the same level we have now for a long time. That’s the most difficult thing.

"When you achieve an objective at a high level, how can you be demanding and successful in keeping it. That’s the idea I have now. The club is in the same way.

"The players are with the same message I am giving you here. The words I use repeatedly since I arrived here to now is I don’t want to waste my time here.

"That’s the message for everyone. I don’t want you to waste your time here. We are professionals and we can get our best objectives individually and collectively.

"We want to keep the level we have now, which is the Champions League and add something more like being a contender for a trophy."

Unai Emery pre-match.



"We are playing seriously, we are playing focused, responsible and the team is progressing and mature in everything.

"We tried to break the press man to man. We conceded some things in the first 15 minutes but then reacted very well.

"It is always difficult at home in Europe. We have had to try and be consistent in our gameplan for 90 minutes and I think we did that today."

"Tactical decision [to bring off Onanabut as well he had some pain. Not clear. I decided tactically and also not take a risk with him."

"They are working well. The commitment to help the team with quality and trying to understand as well. He [Duran] scored the goal and it was fantastic and he was wanting more because he was thinking he could score more goals. He did very good work and the last minutes is for Watkins and keep going,"

Unai Emery post match.


"A brilliant win tonight. A tough opponent.

"The manager is really onto us. He wants us to keep raising the bar every game.

"I always try to improve myself. We had some really good work with the manager last year. He always gives us those challenges during the game, tonight we played a team who plays man to man and he challenged us to beat that.

"Duran has everything, he has technique, he can hold the ball and can flick on. He is an all round striker. Morgan [Rogers] is more suited into the pockets. I joke with him calling him my pocket as I need him in those areas to get to my passes.

"He [Duran] is really funny. The manager does not care. He knows everyone wants to play. It is part of the game."

Youri Tielemans post match.


"It is amazing. Obviously I missed out on the last night here at Villa Park [win against Bayern Munich] but three games in, three wins and most important for us is no goals conceded.

"We don't want to stop here. It puts us in a great position. Some players came back and now we look really strong.

"What we are building here is amazing.

"This is home for me. It is my seventh season here, we've had ups and downs. It has been a rollercoaster. Hopefully we can keep climbing."

John McGinn post match.


"I am delighted for how we are facing this competition, each match playing disciplined and serious. The journey we had in Conference League was a perfect way helping this year because here we won 1-0 the last minute against Zrinjski. We came back after 1-0 losing against Legia and AZ Alkmaar. Those experiences were fantastic.

"Champions League is more difficult, but we are respecting the opponents, the competition and our strength is the group and they are coming back. Today is very good news Kamara is coming back, Buendia, Tyrone Mings is coming too. I am pleased because we are enjoying it with our supporters.

"Of course it is brilliant, our start in the competition. Young Boys, Bayern and today we kept the same mentality and fought for the group, respect for the group and try to impose our game plan. Today against one team, they are not getting the points like they deserve, but they are always playing being so tight the result. Today we created more chances than usually the opponent creates against them. Today we won because we deserved it.

"We prepared the match trying to avoid the man-to-man, try to impose and stop them and then getting out of position. We did more or less, but 50 per cent was the duels. We won more individually and could get more in the attacking third with very good posits to threaten them. Teams like them sometimes for us is very difficult. We must improve always and it is an experience for the next match. Today was very good experience for us to try and analyse deeply how we can face matches like today.

“We are going to focus on each match, how we are doing in the moment, we are arriving in a good position in the table. Of course, we won the first match away at Young Boys, we were thinking about the objective of the next round. Even winning in case, we were speaking against Bayern Munich we could get another objective in the top eight.

“Today was a challenge again, the objective was to win and we were thinking about those three points. Of course, we are going to focus on the next match against Brugge. In the case we are keeping the same performances we are getting and getting points through it, of course we can change the objective to get in the top eight.

“But I want to feel something like a natural way we are doing and not as a surprise because we are playing good performances. There are other teams contenders and favourites for the top eight, but we are of course feeling comfortable.

“We struggled in August and September with some players coming back not fit or injured. We got points but we were thinking of the better moment with the players available to play like today or Saturday.

“And now it’s a good moment as well to try to be intelligent, doing some changes and thinking about the best thing in each moment. I did this today after we won in Fulham because it was a really good moment to do it.

“The response from the players was fantastic. Those in the starting XI, like Maatsen and John McGinn did well, Duran scored his goal and Konsa played in another position. Then we needed the fresh legs of Jacob Ramsey, Watkins, Jaden.

“Kamara being back was perfect to try to have good news and of course, another player who can help us with their quality.

“Yes, most of all for Emiliano Martinez! He is very happy! He is pushing a lot for clean sheets in matches. But really, I think this is the consequence of us being organised and disciplined tactically as well. It’s our strong structure we have to keep always.

“Fantastic, his [Duran’s] first start in 11 matches this year. He played in a different moment. Always it is more difficult but he scored the goal. He was watching maybe his change, he accelerated to score. For us and him it was fantastic. It is good to try and manage. We will do it sometimes and when you get the performance today like Jhon Duran and Watkins it is the best for the team.

“[On Duran’s angry reaction to be substituted] No, no, of course I am managing everything but everything we are sending the message in the dressing room, respect our values and try to be mature and responsible. Sometimes players react a bit but it is under my control.”

Unai Emery post match.


"It's strange. It is a bit of a contrast to our league form. We have been letting in a lot of goals in the league and that is something which has annoyed us.

"But we are proud of where we are, top of the league table at the minute. It has put us in a great position to go and kick on.

"Our aim is obviously to qualify first and foremost for the next round, but if we can take it into the top eight and carry this on it would be brilliant.

"The manager has come in and he has done an unbelievable job. He has brought in a few players and he has developed those players as well.

"This is a team going in the right direction. We are becoming a force.

"There was a feeling about this game, whether they would maybe take the game too easy beforehand, and bologna came at them a bit.

"But this team, they are learning and they are learning very, very quickly.

"You have players like Ian Maatsen, who has not played an awful lot of football, coming into the team and does a superb job. Ross Barkley comes off the bench and does a good job, Jaden Philogene comes off the bench and does a good job. Then Morgan Rogers too, that kid is outstanding.

"No matter what happens until now and whenever he leaves - we hope it's never - he will certainly go down as one of our club's greatest managers.

"You feed off your leader. He is our leader and we feed off that. No-one can question what he puts in, the effort - and everything which comes his way and our way is on the back of hard work.

"He is just so driven. I have never met anyone like him.

"He just focuses his full energy all the time.

"He does not let us take our foot off the gas so we can use all our energy and enthusiasm, and the excitement we have. His determination and intensity is unmatched.

"I think he [Duran] just wanted to play more.

"He wasn’t doing it in a bad way. I was there keeping an eye on him. He was just saying he was enjoying it and wanted another 10 minutes but we have the luxury of having him and Ollie, two top strikers. Long may that continue.

"I knew I was coming off. I think that was just to protect the hamstring a little bit. I don’t know if he did. I think he was thinking I have just scored, keep me on. But it is football and on Saturday he will get another chance.

"He has been brilliant. He is someone who is full of life, full of character. He has great humour. He has really come out of his shell, well, he wasn’t always in his shell but I think the sky is the limit for him.

"He is so focused and he looks like he is really enjoying his football. I said to him in the dressing room tonight before the game, how many are you going to score? He said two but one will do.

"We need to be at it. We watched them [Bournemouth] on the way back from Fulham when they beat Arsenal. They are a really good team who have caused us problems before. In this league you don’t get a break. You don’t get an easy team or an easy ride. Bournemouth are one of the teams in form at the minute and they will give us a tough game."

John McGinn post match.