Fixtures
- Newcastle United Vs. Aston Villa – Thu, Dec 26th 2024, 15:00
Amadou Onana was keen to focus on Aston Villa’s response to defeat at Newcastle United and getting back on track against Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday.
Unai Emery’s side fell to a 3-0 Boxing Day reverse at St James’ Park following goals from Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Joelinton.
But the encounter’s key moment came in the 32nd-minute with the dismissal of Jhon Durán, which left the visitors to play for an hour with 10 men.
“It’s one of those days when you just have to try and forget it as quickly as you can and focus on the next one,” said Onana.
“I think playing for an hour with 10 men against Newcastle away, it was never going to be easy.”
He added: “I think even after we conceded (after two minutes) we were quite good in positions, we were playing well.
“But, like I say, when you go down to 10 men you make it difficult for yourself.”
Having conceded early on and then seeing Durán dismissed, Villa stood firm in the face of home pressure before Isak doubled the Magpies’ advantage prior to the hour mark.
The visitors remained in the encounter until injury time as Joelinton converted a third from the edge of the penalty area to put the seal on defeat.
And Onana felt there were some positives to take from Villa’s battling spirit.
“I think the way we fought until the end, I don’t think anyone abandoned before the final whistle,” he said.
“We stuck together as a team, tried to do as good as we could and I’m proud of the team for showing that mentality.”
The Villans now turn their attention to Monday’s clash against Brighton as they look to put things right.
Emery’s charges have won their previous three Premier League matches at Villa Park and are unbeaten in eight on home soil following last weekend’s victory over reigning champions Manchester City.
And Onana is now focused on finishing the year on a high against the Seagulls.
“We’ve just got to try and be better, myself first, just try and get as many points as we can,” he added.
“We saw it last week, we can do it against big teams.
“I’m very excited for the game against Brighton at home.”
