Morgan Rogers admitted the pressure of the race for Champions League football is getting to Aston Villa after their defeat to Wolves, though he expects them to get to their best quickly.
Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes were on target as Wolves claimed the bragging rights with Friday’s 2-0 derby victory at Molineux.
As well as confirming Wolves can no longer break Derby County’s record for the fewest points won in a Premier League season (11 in 2007-08), the result represented a major blow to Villa’s hopes of returning to UEFA’s flagship club competition.
After a run of one win in their last five league games (D2 L2), Villa could be overtaken in the table by Manchester United when the Red Devils host Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Liverpool and Chelsea – who Villa face on Wednesday – could also move within touching distance.
Speaking to Sky Sports after full-time, Rogers said Villa must remember how they put themselves in such a lofty position, ahead of a difficult run of fixtures.
The England international said: “It does weigh on us, but it shouldn’t. We deserve to be here, and we should not forget that.
“Our run lately has not been as good as usual, but that is the battle of the Premier League. We are going to get back to our good run of wins.
“We set our standards high, and we have the ability to win every game. Obviously, that is not realistic, but we are playing good football as a whole, and there is nothing to worry about.
“These are the games you want to play, and with so much on the line, we need to show why we deserve to be where we are.”
It was the first time Villa have lost a Premier League game against a team starting the day bottom of the table since August 2022 (1-0 to West Ham under Steven Gerrard).
It was also just the second instance of Villa losing to a team inside the relegation zone under Unai Emery, with the other being another 2-0 loss at Wolves last February.
However, Emery, who has never won a Premier League game at Molineux, refused to criticise his players and instead focused on the success they have already had this campaign.
“Congratulations to all the players for the fantastic season we are having,” the Spaniard said.
“It was a fantastic first half; we dominated. We created chances and did not concede early on. We deserved more in the first half.
“When they scored, it was more and more difficult for us. We had one chance with Amadou Onana, and we did not score. But what a fantastic season we are having. We were tired and played open, and they have good players.
“Now is the moment to be together and to understand how we are where we are. Today we did not achieve what we needed, but it is still in our hands to get into a top position.”