Despite a heavy defeat at home, here is what Unai Emery had to say about Tammy Abraham

• “Good evening. For me, today. I am feeling… I am feeling a lot of emotion, a lot of passion for our work, for our supporters, and for this club.

When we are speaking about Tammy Abraham, we are speaking about a protagonist. I told him when he arrived back at Villa Park: ‘Tammy, you must be demanding. You must have the mentality to be competitive every day, in every training, to find the small details.’ And today? Today, he showed this.

Wow.

The goal… it was fantastic. But for me, the most important is the process. We were working in the week, searching for the spaces between the lines, trying to find the verticality. When I saw the ball from Youri Tielemans, I was shouting from the technical area: ‘Go! Attack the space!’ And Tammy, he is very, very intelligent. He knows the feeling of the grass here. He smells the goal.

When he touched the ball and he finished like this—with this power, with this heart—I was jumping! I don’t usually lose my position, but in this moment? I was with the supporters! I was feeling the energy they transmit to us. Because we are a family. We are building something here in our fortress.

I am ecstatic because I see the work. I see the players following the plan. To see Tammy scoring in front of the Holte End again… it gives me a very, very high pride. He is not just a striker; he is a player who works for the team, who presses, who understands the tactical discipline I am demanding.

But, we must stay calm. We enjoy tonight, yes. We are very, very happy. But tomorrow, we must work again. We must analyze where we can improve, because we want to be contenders. We want to be at the top level. And with this mentality, with this hunger from Tammy, we are moving in the right way.

I am very happy for him. He deserves this. The supporters deserve this. It is a great evening for the Aston Villa family.