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Aston Villa's Unai Emery 'embarrassed' after second consecutive 4-2 defeat

Unai Emery expressed embarrassment after Arsenal inflicted a second consecutive 4-2 home defeat on Villa.

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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery

The Gunners scored twice in stoppage time and though Villa’s performance was far from poor, Emery was in no mood to focus on the positives.

Villa have now lost three in a row, a run which started with a 4-2 home defeat to Leicester two weeks ago.

Emery said: “I am very disappointed, very frustrated. It is embarrassing to lose 4-2 in two matches in front of our own supporters.

“Our performance, collectively, was poor. To concede eight goals at home in two matches is not normal and performances can’t continue like that.

“We were winning 1-0 and 2-1 but we didn’t keep going in our gameplan to try and control the game with more possession and good positioning, trying to attack not only attack in transition.

“We are losing the ball and giving them chances and they are taking their moment. They were getting the ball too easily.”

Villa, watched by fan and Hollywood megastar Tom Hanks, twice led through Ollie Watkins and Philippe Coutinho but were pegged back by levellers from Bukayo Saka and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Arsenal then went in front when Jorginho’s drive hit the bar and bounced in off goalkeeper Emi Martinez.

The latter was then upfield, having gone up for a last gasp corner, when Gabriel Martinelli shot into an empty net.

Emery was unhappy with Martinez’s decision to go forward, explaining: “He decided and sometimes it is good. But I don’t like it. I told him after the match.

“Statistically, you can go up 100 times and maybe score one or two times. But the transition helped them. To lose 4-2 to me is worse.”

He added: “At the end, at 2-2, is the example I have in my mind about the match. We had possession but didn’t keep the ball, taking passes and trying to attack better.

“We hit one long ball and gave them the ball, they attacked progressively and scored the third goal. That is the example in 90 minutes for me and it is not the way I want to build here.

“We were giving them the ball when we had to keep it.”