‘A sleeping giant transformed’ - Unai Emery has Aston Villa believing in top-four dream

Unai Emery masterminded Aston Villa's best top-flight finish since 2010 last season, but his team's stunning 6-1 triumph over Brighton suggests they can aim even higher this time around.

On a remarkable afternoon in front of a fervent Villa Park crowd, the home side tore into Roberto de Zerbi's team from the off, inflicting the Seagulls' heaviest ever top-flight defeat thanks in large part to a masterful display from Ollie Watkins.

Watkins, who became the first Villa player to score more than one hat-trick in a season since Andy Gray, was the star as the hosts stretched their 2023 points tally to 58 - a number bettered only by Premier League champions Manchester City.

Former England midfielder Joe Cole says Emery has taken Villa "to the next level" since replacing Steven Gerrard, while fellow pundit Peter Crouch says supporters "now have a team they can be proud of".

"People keep calling it a sleeping giant," former Villa striker Crouch continued. "[They have] the stadium, the history, the fanbase. Now they believe in their manager. It's an exciting time."

After bringing European football to Villa Park for the first time in 13 years last term, can Emery and his players start dreaming of Champions League football?

'Hopefully we can disrupt the top four'

Villa's transformation under Emery has been nothing short of remarkable.

They were 16th - one point off the relegation zone - when the former Sevilla and Villarreal boss took charge last November but have won 18 of their 29 league matches this year - more than any other side in the league apart from City.

The bedrock of their improvement has been their home form. Saturday's thumping win was their 10th in a row at Villa Park in the Premier League - their best sequence since registering 13 home league victories in succession 40 years ago.

"I think we feel a very good connection with our supporters, and today we showed that," said Emery, whose side ruthlessly exposed Brighton's vulnerability on the counter-attack.

"Of course, when you're winning [multiple] games in a row you feel confidence, but you still have to win again and again. That's what we're trying to do."

Midfielder John McGinn is one of several players flourishing under Emery's stewardship, but the Scotland international says there are "plenty more gears" Villa can climb.

"This is a demanding place to play but the manager has educated the fans a bit. He has pleaded with them to be patient," he said.

"Hopefully we can try and disrupt that top four, top six. It is not going to be easy, but why not? Why can't we challenge them and do what Newcastle did last season?"

Ollie Watkins celebrates scoring for Aston Villa against Brighton in the Premier League — Ollie Watkins is the first Aston Villa player to score more than one hat-trick in a season since Andy Gray in 1976-77

Scoring treble 'an unbelievable feeling'

Having netted just once in his past 12 Premier League outings prior to last weekend's 1-0 win at Chelsea, Watkins seems to be rediscovering the form that yielded 11 goals in a dozen matches earlier this year.

The former Brentford forward could have scored five against Brighton - he drilled narrowly past the far post with the score at 1-0 before shooting straight at the keeper in the lead-up to Douglas Luiz's stoppage-time strike.

The 27-year-old has now recorded 17 goals and seven assists since Emery was appointed - only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have registered more goal involvements in that time.

"It's definitely not going to be my last," Watkins, who is in talks with the club over a new long-term contract, said when asked about his latest treble. "It's an unbelievable feeling.

"Every game I want to score and hurt the defence and it worked today. Collectively, we were second to none."

Watkins' heroic performance was made even sweeter by the presence of England manager Gareth Southgate, who gave him his first Three Lions cap back in March 2021.

"To be honest, I don't know when he is here," Watkins said. "It is nice when he is but I want to perform and score every game. There have been a few times this season when I have been disappointed and there is always a chance to put it right.

"I am going to enjoy it today."

'Biggest responsibility is mine' - De Zerbi

Brighton have been pleasing on the eye under De Zerbi, but the manner of their collapse against Villa is a major concern before their Europa League trip to Marseille on Thursday.

The 6-1 win did not flatter Villa in the slightest, the only bright moment of a wretched afternoon being Ansu Fati's first goal for the club five minutes into the second half.

"The biggest responsibility is mine because I am coach," De Zerbi, who was linked with the Real Madrid manager's job this week, told TNT Sports.

"We played a very bad game, without energy [and without] mental energy. This season is totally different to last season - we're playing every three days.

"We want to compete in every competition and we have to show if we're ready or not. We reached this level [by] pushing [and] pushing, but we are not there yet."