Emery pleased with Villa's display against Juventus

Unai Emery was pleased with Aston Villa’s performance after they played out a goalless draw with Juventus in the UEFA Champions League.

Villa Park was bouncing once again as the hosts went head-to-head with the Italian giants, watching on as a tight encounter unfolded.

Emi Martínez made a world-class save from Francisco Conceição at one end and Morgan Rogers saw a stoppage time winner ruled out for a foul on the visiting goalkeeper.

Despite the late disappointment, Emery was proud of his team’s efforts.

“It was fantastic,” he said.

“We needed one match like this, playing seriously with a clean sheet, defending strong, being compact and then trying to impose and dominate some areas of the match.

“We didn’t create a lot of chances but we didn’t concede a lot of chances. We were closer to scoring and in the second half we were progressively getting better.

“We needed one save from Emiliano, a fantastic save, but even in the last action, in England it’s a goal, in Europe it’s not. That’s the decision of the referee.

“The easier interpretation for the referee is a foul, but in England we know when the opponent is not using their hands to push the goalkeeper or to touch him clearly, usually it’s fair. We have to accept it.

“We have ten points in the Champions League and we were enjoying it in Villa Park. We played a very serious match, a very competitive match against Juventus, respecting them.

“I think we have to carry on enjoying this competition.”

The draw moves Villa onto ten points in the league phase, placing them ninth in the table.

The top eight qualify automatically for the next round, and Emery’s squad are chasing one of those spots as they approach their final three games.

He said: “We are being very serious and competing very well.

“We only conceded one goal in five matches. We have three wins and ten points. We have three matches to play and to enjoy.

“We have possibilities and opportunities coming if we are winning to be a contender for the top eight positions.

“The first objective is to get to the next round.”