Stephen Gerrard hails his players following the victory over Brighton as he claims they have to build on the victory and also improve their home form.
Aston Villa manager Stephen Gerrard has heap praises on his players for their performance and result against Brighton.
After two straight defeats in the Premier League the Aston Villa had a 2-0 victory over Brighton away from home.
Speaking with Aston villa media after the game the former Rangers boss said: “I thought the effort that the team and the substitutes gave was fantastic.
“I spoke to the players before the game and said we’ve always got to have purpose; it doesn’t matter where we are.
“The most important purpose is the supporters. I thought they were terrific today and we gave them a performance to be proud of.”
Watkins returned to the starting XI in the game after sitting out in the last game as the striker scored in the second half of the game.
“Strikers are confidence players and they love to score,” Gerrard said.
“I tried to take the pressure off him last week by taking him out of the firing line because there was a lot of noise around us and around Ollie, It was important to reset him.”
Gerrard quickly took is mind off the victory and now say he is focused on their next Premier League game.
He added that they need to build on the victory and also improve their home form as they prepare for Southampton.
He said: “It’s about resetting after every result – win, lose or draw – and focussing on the next one.
“The players have been outstanding this week, recovering from a tough defeat against Watford.
“The performance was there against Watford, but the last bit of our play wasn’t.
“We need to build on this positive win. We’ve got Southampton at home and we need to improve our home form.
“If everyone applies themselves like they did today, it gives us a better chance.”
