Unai Emery was staying positive after a slender loss to Wolves at Molineux on Saturday.
Toti’s ninth-minute header ended up being the decisive moment of a hard-fought derby.
However, Aston Villa’s head coach saw encouraging aspects in the way his team played, particularly in the first half, and he remains optimistic for upcoming challenges.
He said: “I’m disappointed with the result but happy with the game plan we did, and in the first half we played very well.
“They scored one goal and it became a more difficult match. We stayed calm and did the game plan like we had spoke about.
“In the first half, we had three very good chances to score but we didn’t do it. In the second half, the match was slower than the first half with time being wasted and it was difficult to have the rhythm we had in the first half.
“We had a big chance to score with Tyrone Mings but in the end we didn’t get something.
“We’re going to play the next match against Tottenham at home with three points difference. They are in the European position.
“We have to be excited and we have to be very focused to get the last opportunity.”
Emery was able to include Boubacar Kamara, Leon Bailey and Philippe Coutinho in his squad for the game after injury, with the former two making it onto the pitch.
The Spaniard was also delighted to see Diego Carlos return after a long lay-off as he set his sights on next weekend’s crunch clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park.
“It was very important, Diego Carlos coming back from a long injury is fantastic,” he said.
“Players are coming back from small injuries and it’s very important.
“Next Saturday at home to Tottenham is our next challenge and our last opportunity to get a European position.”
