Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is happy to finish August with six points on the board after his side secured a 2-1 win over Leicester to return to winning ways.
Amadou Onana’s tap in at the back post and Jhon Duran’s header put Villa in control before Facundo Buonanotte brought Leicester back into the contest.
Referee David Coote had awarded Leicester a penalty in stoppage time after Ezri Konsa brought down Jamie Vardy again but the linesman’s offside flag came to Villa’s rescue.
Emery highlighted August as a “difficult” month and is happy to have six points from a possible nine heading into the international break.
He said: “Very happy, we competed like we did in the first two matches.
“(August is) a difficult moment for every team because playing with the transfer window not too close.
“Those points today and in the first match against West Ham are fantastic to play and win being away. Being competitive and achieving the points and even playing against Arsenal at home we competed well.
“We are trying to be consistent with the same ideas, style. Today I am very happy.
“We closed August with six points and have to be happy but keep going.”
Duran stepped off the bench to score against West Ham and did the same to give Villa some breathing space.
Emery added: “We were speaking about his potential and the most important is his capacity to focus, consistency with us and has now started very well.
“When he arrived in pre-season he was focusing to stay with us, he was training well, he played against West Ham, he played last week and today, hes having chances and scoring.
“Even Ollie Watkins, he isn’t scoring but doing very good work.”
Oliver Skipp fouled Ollie Watkins for the free-kick that led to Villa’s opener which Foxes boss Steve Cooper believes was never a foul.
Cooper believes the quality of refereeing in England does not match the quality of football in the Premier League.
He said: “For me, it should have never been a free-kick in the first place and that changed the complexion of the game.
“I think everyone in the stadium would have got booked if the referee could’ve got round to it.
“I’ve just accepted the refereeing is where it is.
“You just keep your fingers crossed because of where refereeing is every week that it doesn’t go against you on a given game day.
“I realised that more last season, I was away from the game, looking at games more neutrally, you see it clearly, the Premier League is the best in the world without any doubt, but the refereeing for a number of years has been trying to catch up with that.
“The managers meeting we had in pre-season, the clear message to the players and staff was that the threshold of tackles and duels, of this beautiful English game we love, was going to be raised, then we get that.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. PORTUGAL WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE ON PENALTIES Nuno Mendes 😎 Anti Right Winger Morata : Me again? Congratulations Portugal & Ronaldo Kepa in Arsenal be like I am sorry. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 3 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 4 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 9 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 10 Liverpool's dream transfer window with six signings including £100m striker