Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers celebrates scoring on Sunday. AFP
Unai Emery insists Aston Villa will not win the Premier League, but the Spaniard's ecstatic celebration of Morgan Rogers' decisive strike against Manchester United revealed his true feelings about its title charge.
Usually a composed figure on the touchline, Emery put his emotions on display for all to see after Rogers produced his second fine finish of the afternoon to clinch a pulsating 2-1 win at Villa Park on Sunday.
The England midfielder's 57th-minute goal prompted Emery to roar in delight before ripping off his jacket and hurling it into the air.
It was a fascinating insight into Emery's mindset in the midst of Villa's remarkable 10-match winning run in all competitions.
Villa sits third in the Premier League, just three points adrift of leader Arsenal and one behind second-placed Manchester City as it chases a first English title since 1981.
As he has in the past when Villa has flirted with title contention, Emery insists his team is the underdog, claiming Villa cannot overhaul the experience and quality of clubs such as Arsenal and City, despite beating them both at home already this season.
"We are not a contender," Emery said. "Of course we beat Arsenal and Manchester City here, but they have massive things tactically with players on a high level.
"We have as well but to be a contender in front of them is not our reality."
But Emery's coy approach to Villa's growing title momentum cannot obscure the facts.
Villa is on its best winning run in all competitions since 1914, when it secured 11 successive victories.
It has won seven consecutive topflight matches for the first time since finishing second under Graham Taylor in 1989-90.
Emery has turned Villa Park into a fortress, with just one home league defeat in 2025, fewer than any other team.
Villa's rise to join the title race is even more impressive as it comes after its worst start to a league campaign for 28 years, featuring just two points and one goal scored in its opening five matches.
"Of course we are being consistent in more or less three years, and getting into European positions, but we must continue to be humble," Emery said.
"Understanding how we can get points like we did. We want to keep the same level by being intelligent, competitive, consistent and demanding."
Aston Villa's Spanish manager Unai Emery gestures from the touchline during the English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England, on Sunday. Villa defeated United 2-1 to move to third in the standings. AFP
'A perfect combination'
When Villa returns to action after Christmas Day, it faces two trips to London that will serve as defining moments in its season.
It meets fourth-placed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Dec 27 before a seismic clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium three days later.
If Villa is to maintain its title bid, Emery will have to coax more eye-catching performances from Rogers, whose first-half opener was a sublime curler into the top corner from just inside the area.
"The manager's a genius. He knows what he is doing and knows how to get out of situations," Rogers said.
"The enthusiasm and the way he gets it through to us, then we have that belief and that buzz to our performances.
"That is what he tries to do and we try and take it on board. It's a perfect combination."
Emery returned the compliment, saying: "He's a fantastic guy. A fantastic player. Because he loves football. He loves work."
But Emery revealed he had given Rogers a reality check at the interval in a bid to raise his game to even greater heights.
"At halftime I was not happy with him because I am ambitious myself. He scored a good goal but he was not performing very well," he said.
"We spoke about individually increasing our focus to get better and in the second half we did much better."
As Rogers knows better than most, Emery's relentless quest for perfection is the driving force behind Villa's bid for a title triumph.
AFP
