Unai Emery admitted Aston Villa squandered a prime opportunity to claim victory in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Ipswich Town at Villa Park.
Ipswich played most of the match with ten men after Axel Tuanzebe’s red card in the 40th minute, yet they stunned Villa by taking the lead in the second half through Liam Delap.
Villa responded swiftly, with Ollie Watkins equalizing, setting the stage for a dominant finish.
Despite relentless pressure in the final 21 minutes, Villa couldn’t find a breakthrough, largely due to Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer’s brilliant saves. Emery was left frustrated, feeling his side had done enough to win.
“We lost a very good opportunity, but we played aiming to win,” Emery said post-match. “The first half was tough when it was 11v11. We weren’t controlling the game like we usually do.
They won individual duels, and we struggled, but even then, we had a big chance with Ollie Watkins and didn’t concede much.”
Emery acknowledged Villa’s improvement after the red card, saying, “With one man advantage, we controlled the game, progressively dominated, and created chances.
But we conceded a goal too easily, which made things harder. We played the second half with full control, trying to break into their box.”
While Villa’s performance showed promise, Emery emphasized the need for continued progress. “We have to keep improving and shaping this team in the vision I want.
We deserved to win, but their goalkeeper made crucial saves. We must accept the point because they defended and competed very well.”
Villa will now look to bounce back in their next fixture as they aim to convert dominance into victories.