Aston Villa’s ‘amazing’ victory over Man City hailed by Unai Emery as it moved the Villans third, but the boss warns his players face the ‘biggest challenge’ of the season so far against league leaders Arsenal

Unai Emery says Aston Villa can dare to dream after their stunning start but warned they face their “biggest test” against leaders Arsenal.

Emery’s side move into third place and just four points behind the Gunners after Wednesday’s official victory over champions Manchester City.

This made it a club record, equaling Villa’s 14th consecutive home league win, and City manager Pep Guardiola even said they were capable of winning the title.

The Second City club currently have 32 points – the same as Leicester at this stage in their 5000/1 Premier League winning season.

Emery said: “It was amazing what they achieved at that point.

Unai Emery believes Aston Villa fans have the right to dream after an impressive start to the season

Leon Bailey’s late strike sealed Aston Villa’s victory over Manchester City, leaving the Villans in third place.

‘Very hard. We’re going to do it our own way and have our own personality. We are going to build the team in our own style.

“We have to be consistent and mentality is important and that means we still have a lot of work to do.”

Asked if fans can dream, Emery replied: “Of course, we must always dream.

“I dream, and sometimes my dreams are very important to me because it is the desire to achieve better results.”

While a title bid may remain a dream for now, the top four looks a very realistic ambition as it currently holds a five-point cushion over fifth-placed Tottenham.

But Emery insists Villa cannot afford to dwell too long on Manchester City’s memorable triumph and says the key to success is where they are in the spring.

He continued: “It is a great motivation when we are praised for the work we get.

“Every piece of praise is important to us now, but it should not distract us from our goal.

Emery believes Aston Villa will face their ‘biggest test’ of the season against Arsenal

“We can wait until the 30th or 32nd round and if we are in the top four by then, I think then we can think about maybe.”

“Then we will be contenders for a place there. We must be focused. The match ended on Wednesday and we enjoyed the moment with the fans at Villa Park.”

It was a sensational turnaround given Emery inherited a team that was facing a potential relegation battle when he arrived just over a year ago.

Yet despite this, Emery believes he still has more to achieve – although he admits they face their toughest test yet, he awaits his former club on Saturday.

He added: “I want to be – and this is my daily challenge – to be better today than yesterday, and better tomorrow than today.” I’m not going to stop.

The Spaniard was in charge of the Emirates from May 2018 until his sacking in November 2019.

“It’s also about maintaining balance. We played very well against Manchester City but we have to stay at this level.

“We can remember the last game before Manchester City v Bournemouth and we came very close to defeat (after Ollie Watkins’ header brought a 1-1 draw).

“Of course, Saturday will be difficult. We are confident at home and feel strong at Villa Park. Saturday is truly the biggest challenge we will face.

“We are now up against the best team in the Premier League this season. They are first in the table.”