Unai Emery was proud of his players after they held their own against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The head coach saw his Aston Villa side battle to a 0-0 draw versus the Blues to earn a replay in the FA Cup fourth round.
And Emery felt his team were good value for the draw, growing in stature throughout the match.
“I’m happy because it’s a good result here to draw and we’re going to play the replay at home with our supporters,” he said.
“We’re very happy and thankful to our supporters who were here with us, supporting us – 6,000 supporters.
“We were speaking before the match and they were excited to be behind us here. We had the opportunity to show them we can feel comfortable playing here and trying to be a contender.
“This draw is a very good example and we’re going to play a replay at home with them. It will be difficult but today I’m happy because we competed very well and were strong in the first half.
“In the second half, we reacted well and were progressively getting better, finishing the match controlling the game and being close to win. I’m very proud.”
Emi Martínez played an important role in securing the replay, making a number of fine saves in west London.
Emery feels his team can get the job done when the two teams meet again at Villa Park.
He said: “Clean sheets are always important and our goalkeeper Emiliano was fantastic.
“Defensively we were defending very well – lower than we wanted they were demanding that of us.
“We did a fantastic job and were progressively getting better. We changed the game a little bit and controlled the match.
“This draw is fair for both teams and we’re going to decide the match in the replay.”
