Unai Emery gave a special mention to Aston Villa supporters after his side beat Brentford at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
In his programme notes ahead of the game, the Villa manager praised the club’s fans for their respect, understanding and loyalty in a tough moment for the team over the past few matches.
And following the 3-1 success against the Bees that ended a five-game winless run in the Premier League, Emery was pleased with the positivity inside the stadium.
“Thank you to our supporters. Today it was raining and the time was late but they were here with us. It’s our fortress through the supporters,” he said.
“They have to transmit their positive energy and we have to respond in the same direction with our positivity, transmitting our energy.
“We played more or less like the last matches at home against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace but we drew because we made some mistakes.
“We were working to correct those mistakes and today we avoided those mistakes. We controlled the game and in the first 30 minutes we played fantastic and scored three goals.
“Even when they scored we were creating chances. Today with our supporters here in Villa Park, this is the atmosphere we have to try to keep for a long time.”
Goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash saw the home side to victory, and it would have been more but for some fine saves from visiting ‘keeper Mark Flekken.
A first Premier League start for Tyrone Mings since August last year added to the positive vibe around Villa Park.
Emery said: “It’s been a long time since he played in the Premier League.
“He played in the Carabao Cup, he played in the Champions League, but he didn’t play in the league.
“This one today was for him, for the team, for the supporters and for Aston Villa. His performance was fantastic and we’re happy for him.”