Emery calls on Villa to keep standards high in push to improve away form

Unai Emery has urged Aston Villa to keep their standards high as they look to consolidate themselves in the Premier League top four ahead of a trip to Brighton on Wednesday.

Villa continued their incredible home form with a 1-0 victory over Wolves on Sunday, with Boubacar Kamara's stunning long-range strike proving decisive.

The result marked Villa's fifth consecutive home victory this season, and their 20th from 25 total matches across competitions in 2025.

Away from home, however, Villa have not fared quite as well, picking just eight of a possible 18 points (W2 D2 L2).

"The most important thing is how the players are getting their responsibility," Emery said following the win over Wolves. "They are doing one step forward, clearly.

“We are trying to set our standard high, to set our level high in everything. Working, taking time to prepare each game, having meetings, as well analysing individually and collectively how they are doing, and, of course, taking responsibility.

"Being mature and being players, responding like a man. Responding like the team needs in each moment and in different competitions. I think the most important thing is how the players respond.

"This is the most important thing because if they were not responding in the message I was sending or in the way I wanted to say it, it was completely impossible to get the last way or the last matches, how we performed, how we got points.

"The players are now getting the commitment we need. Before they did as well, but we were not helping us in some circumstances.

"I think, in the dressing room, this is really the part of football we needed to add, like we are doing now."

Brighton, meanwhile, continued their impressive run with a 2-0 victory away to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with Maxim De Cuyper and Stefanos Tzimas on target.

The win lifted the Seagulls to fifth in the Premier League table, trailing Villa by just two points.

"In the second half, we suffered a bit," Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said. "Nottingham brought on some extra quality, but we stuck together and defended the box well.

"We had good connections on the pitch, and the better the understanding you have, the better you play. It was pleasing to see how we attacked and then reacted when we lost the ball."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton – Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck has scored in each of his last three home Premier League games for Brighton. A goal against Villa would see him score in four in a row for the first time in his career.

The only Seagulls player to score in four straight Premier League appearances at the Amex Stadium was Glenn Murray between October and December 2018.

Aston Villa – Morgan Rogers

Despite their poor away form this season, Morgan Rogers has been involved in eight goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances on the road for Villa (four goals, four assists).

The England international scored his first-ever top-flight brace in Villa's last away game against Leeds United, securing a 2-1 victory.

MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

Brighton are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League matches at the Amex (W6 D4), winning the last three in a row.

The Seagulls have never won four top-flight home games in a row, last doing so between March and April 2017 in the Championship.

And indeed, their home advantage will be crucial on Wednesday, as they have won just one of their last nine Premier League games against Aston Villa (D2 L6) – a 1-0 home win in May 2024.

Emery's side will likely feel confident of getting a result, though, having won three of their last four away league games against Brighton (L1), as many as they had in their first 11 visits to the Seagulls' home ground (D5 L3).

Despite struggling on the road this season, Villa have a positive record to fall back on for some confidence.

Since the start of March, only Arsenal have won more away Premier League points than the Villans (20), who have triumphed in six of their 12 away games in that time (D2 L4). Both of their away wins this season – against Tottenham and Leeds – also came after they went a goal down.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton – 42.7%

Draw – 26.7%

Aston Villa – 30.6%