Emery hails ´fantastic´ win as Villa maintain Champions League push

Unai Emery hailed a “very important win” for Aston Villa arsenic they remained connected people to execute their “dream” of successive Champions League qualifications.

Villa moved level connected points with fifth-place Chelsea pursuing a 1-0 triumph implicit Fulham with 3 games remaining, with Youri Tielemans’ first-half onslaught capable to unafraid the triumph astatine Villa Park.

Emery’s broadside are present unbeaten successful their past 17 Premier League location games (won 10, drawn seven), their joint-longest tally successful the competition, besides doing truthful betwixt March and December 2023 (won 16, drawn one).

Having reached the Champions League quarter-finals this season, narrowly losing retired to Paris Saint-Germain, the Spaniard is anxious to guarantee the club’s instrumentality to Europe’s premier nine competition.

“It’s a fantastic victory,” helium said. “Through the Premier League, we are mounting our nonsubjective because, done it, we tin play successful Europe again.

“Fulham are 9 points down america and this triumph against this hostile was precise important. We did it. We performed fantastically.

“Even erstwhile we were winning 1-0, we had chances, but didn’t people another. We could person had immoderate problems defensively, but we defended well, we were focused connected the 90 minutes and we played a bully match.

“We deserved to triumph and possibly to people 1 more. I’m precise blessed due to the fact that to beryllium successful Europe is the objective, and our imagination is to repetition playing successful the Champions League.

“We’re not favourites due to the fact that different teams are successful beforehand of us, but we tin proceed to imagination for it, playing powerfully to [qualify again for] the Champions League.

“The existent nonsubjective is for america to beryllium successful Europe and, aft today, we are adjacent to being there.”

Tielemans headed successful John McGinn’s country for his 10th extremity engagement of the play (three goals, 7 assists); his joint-most successful a azygous Premier League run (also successful 2020-21 and 2021-22).

Meanwhile, lone Arsenal and Crystal Palace (both 16) person scored much goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) than Villa this word (15).

Three points secured. Nine near to combat for.pic.twitter.com/AYS4bWKNLn

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 3, 2025

Having had a flavour of Champions League shot this term, Villa privation to beryllium backmost astatine Europe’s apical array again successful 2025-26.

“All our games, we cognize we person to triumph them to person a accidental to beryllium successful the Champions League adjacent season,” Tielemans told TNT Sports.

“It is the biggest European contention nine wise. We person had a sensation this season, and we privation to bash it again.

“This day was a bully win. A pugnacious opponent, Fulham are a precise bully team. We could person finished the crippled earlier, but recognition to the guys. Good combat and bully win.”

Meanwhile, Fulham’s hopes of securing European shot took a imaginable blow.

Nevertheless, Marco Silva hailed the mentality demonstrated by his players astatine Villa Park.

“We had to woody amended successful [the archetypal half] but, adjacent so, not galore chances for them, and they scored from a set-piece,” helium said. “[It is] ever precise hard for america to take.

“Our absorption successful the past 10 minutes [of the archetypal half] was a small spot better. We started to beryllium overmuch much assertive successful the unit moments.

“[In the] 2nd half, the absorption was precise bully from us, and we knew we had to spell and effort to property a spot more, antheral for man, each implicit the pitch.

“Harry Wilson has a large accidental for america to equalise. Of course, aft that, they had immoderate chances to score, but the crippled was wholly balanced.

“The squad showed a large tone again, large cognition towards the extremity of the match. Unfortunately, we didn’t people and we mislaid the game.

“It is simply a bittersweet infinitesimal for us. Now, adjacent week, we person different crippled to play, and precise important for america to get the 3 points.”