3-0

“We’re excited and demanding ourselves to be focused for the last two months in three competitions. We’re motivated to get our best performances collectively and try to reduce a lot of goals that we conceded.

“In the last matches, we are getting better. Tomorrow is a very good test again for how we can be more consistent, playing at the level we want to achieve and in the level we are getting at the end of the season to play in the Premier League and achieve top seven, top five.

“There are a lot of teams there fighting for these positions. In the FA Cup we’re playing a semi-final and in the Champions League a quarter-final – it’s amazing how we are facing the last part of the season.

“We are aware of the difficulties we are going to face and how much we are going to have to get better.

“A lot of different circumstances we had this season - sometimes injuries, sometimes not getting our performances individually is the reality (behind inconsistency). At the beginning of the season, we had some players, important players for us, who weren’t fit.

“We are recovering some injured players, and I think the players are physically well. I don’t want to waste time with my decisions, with the players – everybody is ready and focused.

“Now, it’s 100% football. It’s the last two months and our target is clear. We have a lot of motivation for it but the players have to be very focused in the same way we are trying to set.

“Thirty-eight matches is when you are finishing and the table is fair for everybody. We are in the last part of the season and every point we achieved and lost before, now is the moment we have to identify how we are, focus on every match and the reality that Brighton have two points [more than us] in a European position.

“To get Conference League, Europa League or Champions League is the consequences of how we are doing in the season. Brighton are there now and tomorrow is three points for them, three points for us or one point for each team.

“We’re going to try and prepare the match to face the match thinking to achieve the three points. We’re respecting them and being very demanding with how we can achieve it.

“Now more, now more! Even when they are sleeping they have to sleep thinking football and wake-up thinking football,” he said.

“Now is the moment because really, it is our responsibility to try and be as good as possible for 90 minutes on the field.

“To get this is to rest good, good food, prepare for the match mentally and physically and arrive as strong as possible.

“When they are coming here, after resting, then try to focus on our work. For example, if they are not here and they are going to a party or going to travel to London, they are not focusing on football.

“When we are being competitive with the players we have, when the players can suit some injured players, one when the players can choose - and other players maybe paying out of matches they are getting tired because we watch it.

“Usually my plan is to watch the match we played and try to analyse deeply the match we played before, how the players are performing, trying to adapt with the opponent.

“It is not only one way. I am trying to analyse deeply different ways to decipher the starting XI. Especially, when we are playing matches like Sunday and now Wednesday and many players ready to play after recovering from injury, I need the training session this afternoon and I can even feel how the players are, whether the players who played on Sunday are 100 per cent ready to play.

“In case as well some players need to play more minutes to be better fit. Usually a game like tomorrow I will decide in the morning, or even in the afternoon.

“It is different for me, in the process for the season, in each moment and each competition. When we have the options we have now, with the players we have ready to play, of course it is better for me.

“But it is also more difficult to decide (the team) quickly. But to have players on the bench ready to play, performing well, this is what I want, not only the starting XI.

“I told you one circumstance we had before, not performing, was because we didn’t have some players ready, through injury or maybe not physically good.

“For example, I told the players two years ago we were playing the last two months in April and May in only one competition with 12, 13, 14 players and achieving our objective.

“Last year we were in the Conference League and we got to the semi-final. But against Olympiacos we were not really 100 per cent, with the players, with the energy and even physically or mentally.

“We achieved through the Premier League to play in the Champions League but we were struggling the last two months. This year I want something different, being focused 100 per cent, full energy, physically good and with the players able to play matches in a row.

“The challenge we have now, is we have maybe 20 players ready to play and different competition and in the minutes 60 or 70 if someone is tired we have substitute players who can make a good impact. Sometimes in the first part of the season we didn’t have it.”

Unai Emery, pre-match.



‘We compete very well. We are trying to reduce conceding goals because our numbers haven't been very good this year. We achieved a clean sheet and today is fantastic for how we competed against a very good team. We had the chances to score in 90 minutes and were clinical. This is very important for us to try to reduce the distances in the table.

"This is the challenge he [Marcus Rashford] has. He is getting better and feeling confident, understanding our demands. We are trying to get the best out of the players. His qualities and experience are very important in our squad. Each match he plays for us is very important.

"We are trying to get stronger than we did during the season in the Premier League. We have to try to get balance now.

"The players were committed to the demands we have and we can feel proud of how the players work today."

“Every match we are facing is very difficult. More or less our challenge now is to try to be more consistent than we were before. Brighton have been very good in their matches here. The opponent was with us and we competed very well. We had enough chances to score and we were clinical.

"We weren't performing very well defensively and conceding more goals than usual. Today is a clean sheet and we are getting balance. Those three points are very important for the table. On Saturday we have Nottingham and we know how difficult that will be.

"Try to be compact defensively and respect the opponent. Win some duels. This is the only way I know.

"Keep going is the message for him [Rashford]. Playing more minutes means he's getting physically better, he's scoring more goals. We're playing him as a striker and trying to compete with Watkins. Maybe going forward we can play them together.

"Try to exploit his [Rashford's] qualities. He's in the best confidence moment. On Sunday we planned to play him as a striker and he scored two goals so I decided to go again and he scored.

"We will analyse the match today and prepare for Nottingham Forest. The table is very tight. They are going fanatic this year. They are feeling confident, feeling so comfortable playing each match being successful."

Unai Emery, post-match.


"We knew this was an important game for us, it was must win. We came to win and that's what we did. The Champions League is the main goal. We'll focus on Saturday, another big one for us.

"I thought defensively we were excellent. All 11 of us stuck together. I didn't feel threatened at all. We managed to get them on the counter-attack a few times and we got a few goals.

"It was the desire from everyone. We've kept a few clean sheets in a row. In the last few games we've shown we can do it.

"He's [Marcus Rashford’s] got a smile on his face again. He looks like he's enjoying football again. I'm so pleased for him.

"We have to take it game by game. Now it's all eyes on Saturday."

Ezri Konsa, post-match.


**Unai, what are your thoughts on the performance and result?**

"Good evening. The objective for the end of the season, more or less, is through the Premier League. To play in Europe, in the Champions League, Europa League, Conference. To try to reduce some distances we have with some teams.

"Of course, the first objective was winning against Brentford, they were with us. Now Brighton in front of us, we won. The players they were aware about our momentum, to try to compete, to get our best collectively through individual qualities and skills. We are trying to build the team, getting the structure stronger.

"Today we played like more or less on Sunday against Preston: serious, disciplined, clean sheet. Our momentum in 90 minutes as well with the players we have showing their capacity and individual skills, Rashford scoring, Marco scoring. Malen scoring. Saving some attacks in our box Emiliano Martinez.

"The players on the bench, when they were substituted on in the second half they were some players we needed to help the team. Like Amadou Onana, Disasi, Malen, Marco I think they performed very well. Now we are trying to identify quickly how we can compete with those players better and better.

"Marcus Rashford as well, his second match in a row as a striker getting confidence and goals. Of course, we have to support as well Ollie Watkins. He has to try to compete with Marcus Rashford to help the team as a striker.

"Of course, the next step maybe we can try to do in case we have time is to play with both. But I think we have very good news inside the squad with some players showing their commitment now to get their best. We will need for the next weeks for Saturday against Nottingham Forest. Forest, the Champions League, for the FA Cup and of course today.

"In the first half we struggled a little bit and weren’t performing very well, but even then we had one possibility to get a penalty for us. We had as well one very good chance for Marcus Rashford. We conceded something defensively more than normal as well, but they didn’t score and in the second half I think we were progressively feeling more comfortable and getting better, using our capacity individually and collectively to score the goals."

**Rashford was signed as a left winger, now he’s moved to striker…**

"But we were analysing him firstly how he played and how he performed before. With us, we were practicing and we were open to playing both positions — as a winger and as a striker.

"It depends in each moment. For example, today he played as a striker because on Sunday we practiced and he scored two goals. I decided to carry on with the same position he was playing, but he can play as well on the left side. It depends.

"But the most important thing is how he’s feeling, how he’s recovering confidence in himself playing football, being focused on his football, being with his teammates comfortable as well, identifying our structure, style and demands. With him, he’s getting progressively better. Today it was the same with Marco Asensio.

"With Malen, only a little bit (of progression) because he’s playing less minutes than I wanted. That’s because I want to play the competitive squad we have now. But today he scored, which is really fantastic for him and the team."

**Not many teams have the ability to bring on the quality of Asensio and Watkins off the bench…**

"The problem we had this season, we were playing matches and some players they were injured and some players they were not physically well during the season. We weren’t getting 90 minutes performing in our demands. We were struggling sometimes for this reason.

"Of course, our objective was to recover some injured players, we signed some players because we were thinking they could help us with the level they have. Of course, they were under their performance when they arrived here because they were not playing confidently. But now progressively they are getting better.

"The adaptation was going quick with Marco Asensio because the position he’s playing with us is really his position. Sometimes, he was not playing the 10 number. But with us, it’s easy for him.

"Rashford is getting progressively better. It was more slowly. But now I think we can feel him playing with confidence and feeling good with his teammates and our idea. As a striker, his power is running the opponent behind.

"Malen as well, the minutes he played were good. Scoring a goal is really fantastic. Disasi of course means Andres Garcia is playing less but we have to set our mentality as a team, how necessary it is to have players in the starting 11 and the bench helping. Just like Sunday, we had the difference against Preston in the second half.

"Now, we are playing on Saturday and maybe we will have options and opportunities to show, to change some players on the field that didn’t play today. It’s because some players with two matches in a row playing in three days, maybe it’s not enough time to rest."

**Are the players buying into the rotation?**

"Yes, more or less. I am trying to do a plan with the starting 11 decision, with the players in the bench. Sometimes you have to plan winning, you have to plan losing, you have to plan drawing.

"I knew before the match maybe the second half was necessary to introduce Asensio and Watkins, getting us a good impact. And they did it."

**Lots of praise is going to the attackers, but is more credit needed for your defenders?**

"We know. Our objective in front, the only way to achieve it is reducing conceding goals like we did before because we were under our expectations defensively to get more clean sheets, to reduce the goals we were conceding.

"Through we were defensively getting disciplined, getting more compact than we did before. It was very important. Of course, the goalkeepers were telling us we need to reduce our goals because we are conceding a lot! The objective we have to get our target in different competitions is improving defensively."

**Do you think you will sign Marcus Rashford permanently?**

"It is not the time to speak about it now because I told before when someone was asking me the same, it’s not the same decision for different reasons; if we are in the Champions League, the Europa League, the Conference League or not.

"Of course, he’s performing well. He’s here because he wanted to come here with us, to try to feel confidence, comfortable and play football. And as well, to try and help us. We signed him because we were thinking about how much he can help us, but at the beginning in this moment we have competitions to play and we can set as our objective for him and for us.

"At the end of the season, hopefully we can get the best for him and we can get the best for us. Doing the way, we are really happy if he’s feeling comfortable, if he’s feeling here getting his level he had and again progressively achieving it, I am happy for him and for the team because we are getting the same objective together."

Unai Emery, post match.