Aston Villa boss, Unai Emery, shut down talks about Marcus Rashford’s future in his post-match press conference following a 3-0 win over Brighton.
Rashford broke the deadlock at the Amex in the 51st minute, scoring his first Premier League goal for the club.
Emery said: “It’s not time to speak about this. He’s here because he wanted to feel confident and play football. I am happy for him.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe victory saw Aston Villa extend their winning run to six matches, Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen scored the other goals to secure three vital points in their bid for back-to-back Champions League campaigns.
Emery said: Our objective is clear, we want to be in the Champions League and we need to close the gap with those ahead of us.”
The Villains are currently in seventh position on 48 points, just three points short of the top four.
Embed from Getty ImagesFabian Hurzeler was frustrated after the match as his side’s unbeaten league run was brought to a halt.
The Brighton manager said: “It’s small margins…after the first goal we weren’t able to lift ourselves up.”
He added: “We created enough chances in the first half to win this game. If we scored the first goal, we might sit here with a completely different mood.”
There were lots of VAR interventions which Hurzeler felt broke the rhythm of the game, however he did say all the decisions were right.
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite the disappointment, Hurzeler praised Brajan Gruda and Joao Pedro for their link up play in the first half.
The German attacker came into the starting line up to replace Georginio Rutter, and paired well with Pedro.
Hurzeler said: “I think they both connected quite well. They pressed good and they play together well.”
Embed from Getty ImagesBrighton face Crystal Palace in their next match at Selhurst Park, where not only will they be looking to bounce back, but also get revenge for the embarrassing 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture before Christmas.
Hurzeler said this weekend’s derby “is a good opportunity to respond”.
The defeat was only Brighton’s third of the season at home and saw them drop into eighth position on 47 points.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Isabelle Newnham
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