Unai Emery explains why he left the Manchester United match before it ended

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he left Old Trafford before the end of the match against Manchester United because he thought it was nearly over, after the hosts scored their fourth equaliser in the 96th minute. The match ended 4-4.

Speaking after the match, Emery said he had not left out of frustration and denied considering the goal unfair. He noted that six minutes of added time had been announced, and that his team resumed play after the goal at 96 minutes and 30 seconds.

Asked whether the result reflected his players’ lack of experience or served as a lesson for them, he replied that he did not know. He also said his team was continuing on its way positively despite what he described as a defeat, and jokingly pointed to the difficulty of expressing himself in English.