Boss Unai Emery has ruled out a top-four charge despite Aston Villa’s strong start to the season.

Villa go to Wolves on Sunday sitting fifth in the Premier League ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.

They are the second top scorers in the division with 18 goals, one behind Brighton who they smashed 6-1 last weekend.

But despite Villa’s form, Emery dismissed any hopes of challenging for the Champions League.

“To be in the top four is very difficult and we are not contenders. There are other teams who are contenders for those positions,” he said.

“When we are in the possibility to get those positions in the table, we have to be very demanding and believe. We have to build a team, trying to get better each match and feel strong with our structure.

“The next consequences are that we will feel comfortable playing and being confident trying to face the top seven teams, being a contender for that.”

Jacob Ramsey (foot) and Alex Moreno (hamstring) remain out, along with long-term absentees Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings (both knee).

“For Sunday, no, they are not going to be available,” said Emery.

“Jacob will need time again to recover his injury. He has an injury and he’s not going to be available.

“Alex was progressing, he was working with the team, he was doing training sessions, but he needed to stop because he wasn’t feeling good. Now, he’s feeling better and hopefully after the break he could be with the group, training every day.

“Moussa Diaby and Boubacar Kamara are going to work with the team tomorrow. In case they feel good, they could be playing but it’s not 100 per cent.”

Boss Unai Emery insists Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Zrinjski Mostar proves why their European rivals must be respected.

John McGinn’s added-time header saved Villa’s skins in the Europa Conference League.

Mostar, who beat AZ Alkmaar 4-3 last month, defended heroically and were two minutes away from a battling point at Villa Park.

It leaves Group E delicately poised after Villa lost their opener 3-2 at Legia Warsaw. Their 1-0 defeat at AZ on Thursday leaves all four teams locked on three points.

Emery said: “My message is always you have to respect every team. For them it’s very important to play in Europe, against us, to show their power as well. Their commitment in 90 minutes was amazing. It was not easy to break it.

“In the second half we played very well, we had chances and we scored in the end.

“I knew before the match it was going to be difficult because they are going to defend. That happened in the first half. Hopefully we can build a team with everybody.”

The Prince of Wales was also in the crowd to see Villa’s late show.

Emery added: “It’s the third time I’ve met him, he is welcome for us. He is really feeling emotion with us as well. He met with me, the players and the coaches. We spoke about Aston Villa and his wishes following us this year.”

Mostar threatened early when Antonio Ivancic lobbed over Emi Martinez but lacked any support to follow up and the Villa goalkeeper made a smart save to deny Nemanja Bilbija.

Nicolo Zaniolo saw shots blocked and had an overhead kick saved by the visitors, who were organised and comfortable.

Villa thought they had a penalty early in the second half when Ollie Watkins’ header hit Slobodan Jakovljevic in the face. Referee Urs Schnyder gave the spot-kick for handball but correctly changed his decision after viewing the replays.

Villa then camped in the Mostar half, Diego Carlos, Youri Tielemans and Zaniolo going close before McGinn’s late intervention.

Matty Cash crossed from the right and McGinn glanced in a header from six yards to spare the Premier League side.

Mostar boss Krunoslav Rendulic said: “Aston Villa won deservedly, we gave our maximum.

“We knew we could only put up a good defence in answer to their quality. Unfortunately that effort wasn’t rewarded. If we had defended that goal it would have been a great success.

“I can’t say anything against my players. In the second half we were suffering, we couldn’t go forward. We did defend very well. We couldn’t survive until the end and the final seconds were disastrous for us.”

John McGinn’s last-gasp winner saved Aston Villa from embarrassment as they laboured to an uninspiring 1-0 victory against Zrinjski Mostar.

The captain netted in the fourth minute of added time to break battling Mostar hearts.

It looks like Villa’s Europa Conference League campaign would continue to stutter until then after the hosts were left frustrated by their organised and combative opponents, who refused to buckle until stoppage time.

Despite dominating, Villa struggled to break Mostar down and had a penalty call reversed in the second half.

Referee Urs Schnyder changed his decision to award a spot-kick for handball after replays showed Ollie Watkins’ header hit Slobodan Jakovljevic in the face.

Nemanja Bilbija wasted the visitors’ best opening in the first half as the Bosnian champions fell just short in the Group E clash.

Ezri Konsa, unfortunate to be left out of the latest England squad, confessed to having never heard of the visitors. He would not have been the only one.

Boss Krunoslav Rendulic called it the biggest game in the visitors’ history and the club which gave a 17-year-old Luka Modric his professional debut were a nuisance from the start.

Antonio Ivancic briefly threatened first, lobbing the ball over Emi Martinez only to lack support, before the goalkeeper needed to parry Bilbija’s shot after Marijo Cuze’s low cross.

In between, Nicolo Zaniolo twice threatened but it was a chance Mostar should have taken. They had, at least, sapped the energy from Villa Park in the opening 20 minutes and the hosts’ frustrations were underlined when McGinn was booked for an obvious dive.

As a team Villa are still learning to adapt to European football and the opening 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw did little to justify their favourites tag in the competition. In the first half at Villa Park, there were even fewer hints.

Mostar fought back from 3-0 down to beat AZ Alkmaar 4-3 last month and were comfortable, Zaniolo’s overhead kick allowing goalkeeper Marko Maric to offer a save for the cameras but there was little else to trouble them.

Unai Emery had seen enough and summoned Watkins, Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash from the bench and their arrival lifted Villa.

Watkins conjured a chance for Diego Carlos, only for the defender to get his header all wrong and the striker thought he had earned a penalty eight minutes into the second half.

Cash’s cross was met by Watkins, whose header cannoned into the face of Jakovljevic – with official Schnyder giving a spot-kick for handball.

It was clear, though, the ball hit the defender in the face and once Schnyder had checked his monitor he correctly overturned the decision.

It did finally light a fire under Villa and Maric saved Diego Costa’s header as
the hosts camped in Mostar’s half for the rest of the game.

Youri Tielemans and Zaniolo went close before McGinn rescued the hosts in stoppage time.

Cash got free on the right and crossed for the midfielder to nod in from six yards.

What the papers say

Arsenal are reportedly lining up Wolves winger Pedro Neto for a summer transfer. According to the Daily Mirror, the Gunners considered launching a bid for the 23-year-old in 2022 but nothing materialised. The club are believed to have maintained their interest however, and join Liverpool, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid in keeping tabs on the Portugal international.

Staying with Arsenal, the Daily Mail says negotiations have begun over a new contract for defender Ben White. The development comes despite the 25-year-old England international having three years left on his £120,000-a-week deal.

And The Sun says Manchester United have sent a scout to monitor 22-year-old Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio, with a view to a potential January deal.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Bryan Cristante: Calciomercato reports Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr are set to make a move for the Roma midfielder.

Lucas Beraldo: Liverpool are keen on the 19-year-old Sao Paulo centre-back, according to website 90mins.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery feels there is a special atmosphere brewing at Villa Park after his side romped to a remarkable 6-1 win against Brighton.

A hat-trick from Ollie Watkins and further strikes from Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz, as well as Pervis Estupinan’s own goal, helped Emery’s side secure a 10th successive league win at home.

Despite Brighton’s Ansu Fati briefly reducing the deficit to 3-1 at the start of the second half, Villa were at their clinical best to leapfrog the Seagulls in the table and extend their winning streak at home.

Emery said: “We have to feel something special at Villa Park and try to create a positive energy between us and the supporters and try to work on the pitch to connect with them.

“We want to compete the same at home and away, we will need time to build the team to be consistent but at home we feel strong with our supporters and the energy the supporters are transmitting to us, we need to keep being consistent at home.

“Ollie Watkins is committed to the club, he is very happy here and we are very happy with him, he works hard every day and tries to learn every day. He did very good work scoring goals and working defensively to help the team.

“We have to be very demanding and try to improve every day, each match is going to demand different things, we have to be ready and be strong in our work to be successful.”

Villa blew Brighton away with three quickfire goals in the first half as Watkins scored the opener on 14 minutes with a close-range finish before netting again on 21 minutes with a low effort past Jason Steele at his near post.

Estupinan’s own goal on 26 minutes put Villa in command before Albion responded when half-time substitute Fati scored his first goal for the club five minutes into the second half.

However, Watkins completed his hat-trick on 65 minutes with a deflected effort before Ramsey curled home on 85 minutes and Luiz rounded off the scoring seven minutes into injury time to inflict a heavy defeat on the Seagulls.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “Everything [went wrong], we played very bad.

“It’s not a problem of our physical condition, first and foremost when we lose this type of game it’s my responsibility. If you lose 6-1, the biggest responsibility is of the coach.

“We are not ready to compete and to play every three days, I’m trying to manage in different ways to keep the physical energy [up].

“The physical energy is not enough, in football you have to be ready to give your all and your best in the head in the mentality. We can’t lose every tackle, every duel and every second ball otherwise you lose the game in this way.

“But I believe in my players because I have big confidence in the people inside of my dressing room, we are suffering a lot for this defeat but this can happen sometimes if you are not ready and you have to adapt quickly.

“We have to learn. We are suffering, it’s a very bad day but maybe one of the most important days – we want to reach this level.”

Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick as Aston Villa recorded a 10th successive Premier League home win with a 6-1 thumping of Brighton.

Watkins netted a first-half brace and Pervis Estupinan put through his own net as Villa scored three goals in the space of 13 minutes before the interval to blow Brighton away.

Striker Watkins completed his hat-trick in the second half and set up substitute Jacob Ramsey for the home side’s fifth goal after Ansu Fati had briefly reduced the deficit before Douglas Luiz completed the scoring deep into added time.

Victory for Unai Emery’s side extended their winning run to three matches, while Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton were denied the chance to go joint top of the table following their heaviest defeat under the Italian since he took charge in September last year.

Brighton spurned a glorious early chance to take lead when Billy Gilmour played a delightful ball into Estupinan, only for Emiliano Martinez to make a crucial save.

And that miss would prove costly as Villa broke the deadlock in the 14th when Watkins finished from close range after John McGinn’s superb pass released Matty Cash down the right.

The home side doubled their lead after 21 minutes as Watkins somehow squeezed the ball past Jason Steele at his near post after latching on to Moussa Diaby’s through-ball down the left-hand side of the area.

Moments later, Villa went close to another as Diaby’s drilled cross from the left was flicked to safety by the boot of Steele.

The hosts continued to pile forward and looked to have put the game to bed after 26 minutes when Diaby’s shot deflected in off Estupinan as the defender ran back towards his own goal, Steele having denied the Villa man moments earlier.

Following a dismal first-half performance, Brighton boss De Zerbi made a triple substitution at half-time as Fati, Joao Pedro and Tariq Lamptey all entered the fray.

The Albion boss was quickly rewarded as Barcelona loanee Fati reduced the deficit after 50 minutes with a close-range finish after Pedro had just kept the ball in play, with the goal awarded following a lengthy VAR check for offside.

However, Villa dashed any thoughts of a fightback after 65 minutes when McGinn’s pass found Watkins on the edge of the area and the striker’s shot deflected in off Adam Webster, with the ball looping over Seagulls keeper Steele.

Albion almost scored a second goal in the final 10 minutes as substitute Simon Adingra’s dipping shot was magnificently tipped over the crossbar by Martinez.

However, Villa scored their fifth after 85 minutes when substitute Ramsey curled a fine effort in off the right-hand post from the edge of the area from Watkins’ pass.

And there was still time for Villa to add to Brighton’s misery as Luiz rolled the ball into an empty net seven minutes into added time after Steele had denied Watkins when one-on-one to round off a superb display from Emery’s men.

Sean Dyche insists Everton cannot rush their recovery after the Toffees’ impressive Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa.

James Garner and Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired the visitors into the fourth round – and a home tie with Burnley – following their 2-1 victory.

Boubacar Kamara pulled a late goal back to spark a Villa rally but any comeback would have been undeserved for the awful hosts.

Everton lost 4-0 at Villa Park in the Premier League just five weeks ago but have secured back-to-back wins for the first time in a year as their season splutters into life.

Investment firm 777 Partners is also waiting for approval on its takeover and Dyche knows the process to revive the club takes time.

“The story of Everton has been a two-to-three season story, the cloud hanging over it a little bit. The only people who can change that story is us,” he said, after four defeats from their opening five league games.

“The team starts the process, bonding the club together, bonding the fans. You want that bond.

“We want a strong connection with the fans, the rest I can’t control, but a strong connection is something we can get with the way the players go about their business.

“We are trying to work with things on and off the pitch, there’s so much alignment which needs to be done from top to bottom. You can’t just fast track everything. The last couple of seasons have not been where Everton want to be.

“Now it’s step-by-step, building a team which is more competitive and gets more wins. The rest of it takes care of itself.”

Everton’s press unnerved Villa and earned them the opener after 15 minutes when they forced a mistake.

Robin Olsen’s poor clearance under pressure landed for Amadou Onana on the edge of the area, with Calvert-Lewin and Arnaut Danjuma returning the ball.

Onana slipped a clever pass through to Garner to smash in his first Toffees goal from 10 yards.

Olsen stopped a comical John McGinn own goal and thwarted Calvert-Lewin but was powerless to stop the striker adding a second five minutes after the break.

Youri Tielemans’ poor pass left Ezri Konsa short and Calvert-Lewin darted in to run through and beat Olsen.

It was all the visitors deserved yet they needed Jordan Pickford to stop Moussa Diaby pulling a goal back immediately.

Calvert-Lewin tested Olsen but Kamara gave Villa faint hope when his strike from the edge of the box deflected in off Michael Keane.

Diaby and Douglas Luiz went close to forcing penalties but poor Villa slumped to their first home defeat since February.

“It’s not (about being) tired,” said boss Unai Emery, who made five changes from Sunday’s 1-0 win at Chelsea which lifted Villa to sixth in the Premier League.

“I don’t want to use all our effort with the players each match. We are trying to keep a balance with some different players but trying to be competitive.

“We’re disappointed with the start and mistakes we made but we are trying to go forward and building the team.

“We made the second mistake quickly (in the second half) and it was difficult to come back.

“We have to move on quickly, try to recover the players for Saturday (against Brighton) because we need the best performance.”

Everton continued their mini revival after a deserved 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa.

James Garner’s first Toffees goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s strike fired the visitors into the fourth round.

Boubacar Kamara’s late strike gave the scoreline a flattering look after Everton bossed much of the game against their disappointing hosts.

Villa routed the Toffees 4-0 in the Premier League last month but Sean Dyche’s side have begun to mount their recovery following a wretched start.

Successive victories for the first time under Dyche – and first for a year – will continue to rouse the Toffees. With Luton and Bournemouth next to visit Goodison Park there is the chance to find real momentum.

For Villa, whose last major trophy was the 1996 League Cup, it was another disappointing night for a club which so desperately wants to challenge the elite.

They will continue to remain on the fringes with similar performances as they strive for consistency, having won 1-0 at Chelsea on Sunday.

There was never any sign Unai Emery’s side would build on that result during a sloppy display where they were outfought and overpowered.

Youri Tielemans’ half-volley landed on the roof of the net after seven minutes but that was as good as it got in the first half.

Everton quickly found a tempo which the hosts struggled with and one which, ultimately, forced a 15th-minute opener.

Robin Olsen was put under pressure and his poor clearance landed kindly for Amadou Onana on the edge of the area, before Calvert-Lewin and Arnaut Danjuma worked the ball back to him.

The midfielder then clipped a cute ball through to Garner to lash in from 10 yards with the Villa defence static.

They looked ropey and anxious for the rest of the half as the hosts failed to clear their lines and were unnerved by Everton’s pressing and Danjuma’s direct running.

Only an outstanding reflex save from Olsen stopped John McGinn slicing into his own net six minutes before half time after another Danjuma burst embarrassed Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash.

Two minutes later the goalkeeper denied Calvert-Lewin as he tried to round him, the striker putting the rebound wastefully into the sidenetting.

It was a let-off and one Villa should have capitalised on but Jhon Duran fired wildly over in stoppage time to sum up their wayward first half.

Unsurprisingly Unai Emery had seen enough, replacing Duran, McGinn and Leander Dendoncker with Ollie Watkins, Kamara and Lucas Digne at the break.

But it did nothing to improve the hosts and they self destructed five minutes after the restart.

There was little pressure on Tielemans 40-yards out but his pass sold Konsa short and Calvert-Lewin nipped in to streak clear and roll past the exposed Olsen.

A smart Jordan Pickford save from Moussa Diaby stopped the hosts pulling a goal back immediately but there was no sense of a comeback.

Olsen thwarted Calvert-Lewin just after the hour and it looked like Everton would comfortably see the game out.

Yet, Kamara set up a nervy end with eight minutes left when his deflected strike from 20 yards wrong-footed Pickford to creep in.

The goalkeeper saved from Diaby in stoppage time and Douglas Luiz hooked over during a frantic finish but it was too little, too late.

Mauricio Pochettino said his Chelsea players need to grow up as a team after they were beaten 1-0 at Stamford Bridge by Aston Villa to fall to their third loss of the season.

The game turned with the sending off of Chelsea’s Malo Gusto after 58 minutes when the score was still 0-0. His challenge on Lucas Digne was late and caught the Villa defender on the ankle, and after a pitchside VAR review referee Jarred Gillett upgraded the initial yellow card to a red for dangerous play.

Pochettino brought on Ben Chilwell and moved Axel Disasi to right-back, but the dismissal did not much alter Chelsea’s attacking intent as they continued to seek out a winner.

It was a decision that would come to haunt them, as with the home side committed inside Villa’s half Moussa Diaby broke with the ball and fed Ollie Watkins, who after seeing his first shot blocked by Levi Colwill scored with his second, angling the ball beyond Robert Sanchez and in off the far post.

It was the second time in two seasons that Watkins has netted in a Villa victory at Stamford Bridge, as Unai Emery’s side took full advantage of Chelsea’s ongoing inability to turn promising situations in the final third into goals, before pouncing when their own moment came.

Striker Nicolas Jackson, who has scored just once since his £31million summer move from Villarreal, again cut a frustrated figure as he picked up his fifth booking of the season for attempting to block a Villa free-kick, incurring him a one-game ban.

Pochettino refused to criticise the officials and said it is the players that must take the rap for the team’s poor start to the season.

“It’s our responsibility and the players’ responsibility,” said Pochettino. “We can’t blame the VAR or the referee. The situation, we need to act different, in a different way. I’m not going to blame or say anything against Malo Gusto. Situations happen in football and they affect the game and the team in a negative way.

“We need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual way. A player like Nico (Jackson) that is so young, feeling the Premier League and he’s learning, he needs time. In this type of game, we’re competing and we want to win. But players, when they are young, need to learn with experience.

“That’s why we feel disappointed because we are playing too many situations like this. Another small detail and in the end we are losing the game. We are in a situation we need to change as soon as possible.”

Chelsea largely dominated up until the red card with Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk particularly lively attacking down either flank.

But the team were dogged by a familiar failure to turn pressure and possession into gilt-edged chances as their scoreless run in the league extended to three games.

“It was a little bit unlucky,” said Pochettino. “How many chances did we have like Aston Villa? They shoot, we block, then they shoot and it touches the post and goes in. For us, how many one v one against (Emiliano) Martinez? We were a little bit unlucky but that happens.

“We need to accept the reality. But it was unlucky because how many chances did they create? Not many. With 10 men we were forcing them to go back.

“That is unlucky. We need to be aware about what is going on but in some way we need to be calm because the team is creating, the team is alive, the team is fighting every single action.

“We cannot say anything about the players, we cannot say that they gave up after 70 minutes. They were fighting until the end with one player less.”

Villa boss Emery reflected on a performance that he said was proof of his side’s powers of recovery after their 3-2 loss to Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

“Overall I think we are progressing,” he said. “We changed some players, we had some difficult injuries. The most important thing, we tried to create our style and ideas as quick as possible with the players we added this season.

“The first way to get it I think is to be consistency defensively, be competitive like we were today.

“We’ve been strong at home, playing really good and winning a lot of matches. But away we have to try to get the same performances and the same structure.

“Today, to win here at Chelsea, 90 minutes everything that happened today was something normal. To win here is not easy. If the match had gone different we could have lost as well. I’m very happy. We felt strong defensively, better than the last match we played away.”

Chelsea went down to a third Premier League defeat of the season as Aston Villa won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge after Malo Gusto was shown a second-half red card.

Villa broke away and scored through Ollie Watkins 17 minutes from the end, and though the 10 men laboured gainfully to get back into the game their goalless run in the league under Mauricio Pochettino stretched to three matches as they remained 14th.

Chelsea were on top and looking far the likelier to score when a pitchside VAR decision just before the hour mark turned proceedings against them. Gusto had slid in on Lucas Digne and caught the defender on the ankle, and a yellow card was quickly upgraded to red for dangerous play.

Pochettino’s side continued to attack in numbers and it would prove their undoing, Watkins outfoxing Levi Colwill to score on the rebound after the 10 men had poured forward, as Villa won for the second season running in front of an audibly frustrated home support in west London.

Chelsea opened with a greater attacking purpose than they had shown in recent scoreless outings against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth. After four minutes, Moises Caicedo took a chance and drilled low and hard from distance into the gloves of Emiliano Martinez, a comfortable enough save for Villa’s goalkeeper but an early show of intent from the home side.

Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk were heavily involved during the opening 15 minutes, finding space without the ball and attacking Villa down either flank when in possession. Nicolas Jackson too showed pace and power through the middle as Chelsea threatened from all angles.

But it was Villa, increasingly stretched at the back, who nearly took the lead and in the most spectacular fashion after 20 minutes. Douglas Luiz’s corner was only partially cleared, and the ball dropped out of the air to the waiting Digne who whacked an audacious looping volley from all of 35 yards that Robert Sanchez brilliantly tipped over the bar.

Chelsea had not scored in the league since August but here they played through Villa with a confidence that belied their modest goal return of five under Pochettino.

Mudryk tucked a superb ball in behind the defence for Jackson to run on to, the striker’s cunning to find space matching the brilliance of his teammate’s vision. Jackson went for the near post and Martinez turned it behind, but it was as fine an attacking move as Stamford Bridge had witnessed this season.

Enzo Fernandez should have broken the deadlock when he shot first time from Gusto’s pull-back, the Argentinian failing to make the best of a good opening after Gusto had stretched every sinew keeping the ball in play.

Sanchez saved acrobatically from Nicolo Zaniolo’s volley as Villa came on strong late in the half. At the other end Mudryk capped a lively first period when he raced away from Matty Cash and zipped the ball low across goal only to find that nobody in blue had gambled.

Sterling began the second period as he had ended the first, racing away from Villa down the right and trying to tuck the ball inside Martinez’s near post. The goalkeeper spread himself well to smother, but Chelsea’s threat was growing.

Then came a moment to turn to the tide of that pressure. Gusto’s challenge on Digne was late and caught the Villa defender on the ankle. The initial decision was yellow card, but a pitchside VAR review saw it upgraded to a red as boos rained down on the referee from home fans.

The sending off did not drastically alter the course of things at first, Chelsea’s pressure on Villa’s defence remained. Yet it was ultimately to be their undoing.

There seemed to be little on when Villa won the ball back high in the Chelsea half. One ball released Moussa Diaby who dashed into the space left by Gusto’s departure, and in a flash he fed Watkins.

Colwill seemed to have things under control when he slid to block Watkins’ initial shot, but before he could recover and clear the Villa striker had taken up the ball and lashed his second effort past Sanchez from an angle and in off the far post.

Ben Chilwell on as a substitute missed when one-on-one with Martinez, then moments later Axel Disasi, now moved out to right-back, burst into the box and skewed horribly wide as he lashed at his shot.

Jacob Ramsey tested Sanchez when he stepped inside and curled towards the bottom corner, this time the goalkeeper finger-tipped the ball to safety.

By then, Chelsea’s attacking rhythm had been critically disrupted, and Villa saw the win out amid a chorus of discontent around Stamford Bridge.

Unai Emery insists Aston Villa must learn how to handle European football and refused to blame his changes after their sloppy 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw.

Ernest Muci’s second-half winner clinched a deserved victory for the hosts to ruin Villa’s Europa Conference League debut.

Jhon Duran and Lucas Digne twice levelled for the underwhelming visitors in the first half after Pawel Wszolek and Muci scored for Legia.

It ranked as one of the worst performances in Emery’s 11 months in charge, with the manager making five changes, including giving a debut to Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet.

He said: “I believe in our squad and our players and we could have lost this game with other players on the pitch.

“Every match away in Europe is difficult and this is a new step where we have to learn.

“We still have the possibility to react again, we are going to play another five matches. It’s not a good result but we have to learn and have to understand how we’re going to face the next matches and this competition.

“We have to build the squad who will play a lot of matches and we will need players in the squad to give them opportunities to play, to use their qualities.

“In the second half we started well but in one click, we concede another opportunity and they score a goal.

“They had a plan, they did good and we couldn’t stop them in some moments.”

Legia struck after just two minutes in the Group E opener when Wszolek converted Patryk Kun’s cross.

Duran levelled four minutes later, though, nodding in after Kacper Tobiasz turned Nicolo Zaniolo’s drive onto the bar.

It should have given Villa a platform but a shoddy, slow, performance continued to undermine their tag as one of the tournament favourites.

Livewire Muci punished them again after 26 minutes when Villa were left floundering on the flanks and he fired in Wszolek’s centre.

But Villa came back, however undeserved, and Digne’s deflected volley ensured they went into the break level.

Parity did not last long, though, when Muci went sent running at Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers, made fools of them both and found the net off a post.

This time there was no way back and Marc Gual almost added a fourth when Emi Martinez parried Bartosz Slisz’s shot and Chambers cleared.

Jacob Ramsey, Moussa Diaby and Youri Tielemans tried to find an unlikely leveller but victorious Legia held on.

“You should not underestimate the underdogs, Mostar will also be a hot game, a Balkan team with a lot of emotions,” said boss Kosta Runjaic, after Mostar beat AZ Alkmaar 4-3 in the other group game.

“It’s surprise for me but it’s also a surprise we won against Aston Villa, I’m happy about it, this three points in the first game are very important for us. We were lucky in some moments but you need luck.

“We will see how we do in the next game, we will face a very ugly Alkmaar in a couple of weeks.”

Sloppy Aston Villa crashed to a chaotic Europa Conference League defeat at Legia Warsaw.

Ernest Muci’s second-half winner spoiled Villa’s debut in the competition as Legia pulled off a deserved 3-2 victory in Poland.

Pawel Wszolek and Muci had twice given Legia a first-half lead only for Jhon Duran and Lucas Digne to peg them back.

Muci pounced six minutes into the second half and Villa never recovered.

Legia boss Kosta Runjaic had billed it as a David v Goliath tie, with Legia going into the Group E opener with hope rather than expectation. Captain Josue, pointed out the vastly different transfer values between the squads.

Maybe it was reverse psychology but they were far from overwhelmed and picked holes in Villa’s sloppy defence.

Villa are expected to not just qualify from the group with ease but challenge for the title in Athens next May but they will have to significantly improve if that is to be the case.

It look just two minutes for the energetic hosts to unpick their visitors with worrying simplicity.

Muci sent Patryk Kun scampering down the right and he crossed for the onrushing Wszolek to fire in from eight yards.

That Legia conceded 13 goals while qualifying for the group stage would have given Villa encouragement for any comeback and, sure enough, it took just four minutes to level.

Nicolo Zaniolo’s strike from 25 yards was turned onto the bar by Kacper Tobiasz and Duran reacted quickest to nod in from close range.

Villa managed to steady themselves as game settled after a rapid start, until Legia regained the lead after 26 minutes.

Again the threat came from out wide, this time from the right. Wszolek was given too much time by Digne to cross for Muci to smash in.

Defensively Villa had been weak, switching off when it mattered most, and Ezri Konsa was the next to escape when Muci went down under pressure in the area but referee Evangelos Manouchos was unmoved.

Still Legia found gaps in the Villa backline when Marc Gual tested Emi Martinez and the visitors looked far from tournament favourites.

Duran’s goal had been their only serious chance but Unai Emery’s men levelled against the run of play six minutes before the break.

Leon Bailey tricked his way through, John McGinn’s shot was blocked and fell to Digne on the edge of the box for the left-back’s deflected volley to find the top corner.

Villa had taken their opportunities to redeem themselves and Legia still needed Tobiasz’s leg to deny Duran an undeserved third just before the break.

Yet if they thought they had tamed Legia they were badly mistaken and, like the first half, the hosts wasted little time in the second.

Emery would have despaired at how open his side were when Gual picked out Muci to run at Konsa, he was pushed wide by Calum Chambers but still managed to squeeze his shot across Martinez and in off a post.

Reinforcements were needed and Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby arrived but Villa almost fell further behind when Gual just failed to turn in after Martinez parried Bartosz Slisz’s drive.

From then there appeared little way back with Legia comfortable, Tobiasz never tested – even when Jacob Ramsey shot wide.

Outside of their qualifiers, it had been a long 13 years to return to Europe for Villa. It was not worth the wait.

Crystal Palace first-team coach Paddy McCarthy said Roy Hodgson is feeling better after the manager was forced to miss his side’s 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa.

The 76-year-old was taken ill on Saturday morning and did not travel to Villa Park, but looked like he was going to receive the perfect tonic as his side led through Odsonne Edouard’s early second-half goal.

However, Jhon Duran levelled for Villa in the 87th minute and then added-time goals from Douglas Luiz, a penalty that survived a rigorous pitchside check by referee Darren England, and Leon Bailey saw Villa take all three points in the Premier League clash.

Despite the late heartache, Hodgson is on the mend.

McCarthy, who took charge along with coach Ray Lewington, said: “He is feeling better, so we are hopeful that he can continue to feel better and be back with us sooner rather than later.

“All the preparations were done with Roy. It was early, sort of between breakfast and the pre-match meal that he felt unwell, that is when we found out about it. We just continued as we had prepared.

“Before the game we had contact and then there was a lot of stuff going on. It was before the game we had contact and we will obviously speak to him after the game.”

There was over four minutes between referee England awarding a penalty for a foul by Chris Richards on Ollie Watkins and standing by his decision after being invited to check it by the VAR.

England decided that a foul had taken place before the Palace defender won the ball.

However, McCarthy says such a delay suggests it was not a foul.

“To concede a goal in the 87th minute and then to concede a goal in controversial circumstances later on is disappointing,” he said.

“If it takes five minutes to make a decision that tells you everything you need to know. People in the studio have asked him to go and have a look. Whatever he has seen on the monitor has not changed his mind.”

Aston Villa equalled a post-war record of nine successive home league wins with their late turnaround, which was reward for an industrious performance.

Boss Unai Emery said his side won because they used their hearts.

“Today was a very different match, this is the 10th in a row we have won, nine in the Premier League and against Hibernian in the Conference League,” he said.

“But it was completely different. We want to play like we played in the first half, but scoring goals because we deserved to score.

“We weren’t playing the second half like I want but sometimes we have to use our heart and use our passions. We needed the referee giving us the minutes that he added and created chances in the second half when playing a different way.

“I enjoyed it. It is difficult after we conceded the goal, they had one or two chances to score. But sometimes in my experience I know we have to take the decision of playing with the heart and more emotion than normal and today was like that.”

Aston Villa scored two stoppage-time goals to complete a late turnaround as they won 3-1 against Crystal Palace, who were without their unwell manager Roy Hodgson.

The 76-year-old was taken ill on Saturday morning and did not travel to Villa Park, but looked like he was going to receive the perfect tonic as his side led through Odsonne Edouard’s early second-half goal.

But Jhon Duran fired home an exquisite equaliser in the 87th minute and then Douglas Luiz struck from the penalty spot in the eighth minute of added time after the decision had survived a rigorous pitchside monitor check by referee Darren England.

Leon Bailey’s goal two minutes later sealed what was a worthy victory for the hosts, who bossed the majority of the game.

It was their ninth home league win in a row, which equals their best post-war record as things continue to look up under Unai Emery.

Palace did not say how poorly their manager was before the game, but did confirm he would be in touch with first-team coaches Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington throughout the encounter.

But his mood would not have been improved after the chaotic end to the match where his side conceded three times in 13 minutes.

Palace also endured a tough opening, with Villa’s pace and running causing them problems.

They did not make it easy for themselves either and Joel Ward presented Ollie Watkins with a golden chance to open the scoring as he misplaced a pass and the Villa striker went clean through on goal but Sam Johnstone produced a good save to rescue his captain.

Hodgson would not have enjoyed what he was seeing remotely and it looked like they fell behind in the 34th minute.

Moussa Diaby, living on the shoulder of the Palace backline, was superbly picked out by Pau Torres and the France international raced clear and clinically fired home.

However, he was marginally ruled offside by VAR and Palace again escaped.

There were more sighs of relief soon after as Matty Cash miskicked his shot after good work by Nicolo Zaniolo and then the Poland right-back headed over another good chance.

Palace had barely threatened in the first half, but went ahead inside two minutes of the restart.

Jean-Philippe Mateta spun Torres on the right and sent in an inviting cross for Edouard to slide past Emiliano Martinez, who had slipped but would have been out of position anyway.

It was the 25-year-old striker’s fourth Premier League goal of the season and gave Palace a lead out of nowhere.

Palace threatened to build on that advantage and should have gone 2-0 up on the hour-mark but Ward could only divert Joachim Andersen’s header wide of the post from close range.

They could have done with that going in as Villa launched an assault in search of an equaliser.

Duran fired straight at Johnstone with his first touch after coming on before the hosts came within inches of levelling.

Watkins and Bailey both had shots blocked in quick succession and the ball again went to Watkins, and his first-time curling effort hit a post before rebounding off Johnstone and just wide.

The breakthrough eventually came three minutes from time as Duran superbly controlled Lucas Digne’s cross on his chest and then lashed in a fierce left-footed shot.

Five minutes later they were awarded a penalty when Chris Richards brought down Watkins, with referee England taking nearly three minutes in front of the monitor to decide a foul had been committed after the Palace defender impeded his opponent.

Luiz stroked home from 12 yards and then Bailey sealed the win at the end after converting from close range.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted the club’s stance would not waver on Mohamed Salah, despite speculation of a potential world-record bid for the forward arriving this week.

The club rejected a £150million deal for the 31-year-old from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad on Friday and said at the time, they considered the matter closed.

That has not prevented suggestions the Pro League champions are prepared to return with a bid of around £200m but Klopp said even though the Saudi transfer window remained open until Thursday, the position of owners Fenway Sports Group would not change.

“I didn’t realise a little bit of a distraction in the whole week, besides answering questions about it – not from people inside (the club) but people outside,” said Klopp after his side’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa in which Salah scored the third after Dominik Szoboszlai’s first goal for the club was followed by Matty Cash putting through his own net.

“I have no clue, nobody came to me and told me something could happen or whatever. I’m pretty sure I would have got a call but I didn’t.

“And Mo didn’t look for a second like he thought about anything else other than about Aston Villa, being involved in all the goals.

“He has unbelievable numbers but it’s not a surprise that he has the numbers. And he had chances on top of that and (is) involved in creating and setting up and all these kind of things.

“He’s a world-class player, no doubt about that and I’m really pleased he is in my team.”

Szoboszlai said in a post-match television interview to that Salah wanted to stay.

“You know it is football, everyone is talking. We are really happy that he has stayed,” said the Hungary captain.

“We are of course speaking between each other but he wants to stay, he wants to be here and be with us. We are really happy – we need people in the team like him.”

Klopp was asked whether Salah had conveyed that message to him.

“No. He didn’t tell me, but he didn’t have to. He speaks with his training and performances and behaviour,” he added, after admitting the only downside to the afternoon was a hamstring injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold which was likely to rule him out of England duty in the coming international break.

“We had meetings this week and the meetings were not about what we did in the past, it was about what we will do in the future.

“Mo was with the players’ (leadership) committee and had his moments where he was talking and it was nothing like ‘By the way, this is only until next week’ or whatever.

“He is completely here and if Dom said that, fine. Mo doesn’t have to come into my office and tell me ‘By the way, boss… (I’m not going)’.

“For me it wasn’t a subject for one second, to be honest, besides the questions (from the media).”

Villa were never really in the game after Cash’s 22nd-minute own goal, and head coach Unai Emery admitted – after conceding three in the last half-hour at Newcastle on the opening weekend – he was conscious of getting torn apart at Anfield.

“It is difficult to win here and first half was the key. We had chances, we were not clinical and 2-0 was not really the result we deserved for the first half,” he said.

“Second half we stuck to our gameplan and they scored the third goal and it was match finished.

“We tried to be focused because here, like in Newcastle, we lost the last 30 minutes and we didn’t want it today. I can’t accept to let them have more goals.”