Duran started for the first time in the Premier League this season and scored the only goal of a scrappy game played out in the eye of Storm Darragh.
Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour undoubtedly impacted quality but Duran provided one rare moment of class when he powered away to score his ninth goal of the campaign.
Emery said: “He was fantastic. He is progressively helping us in everything, scoring goals and sometimes not scoring but working.
“We’re very demanding with him tactically, about how to respond on the field. Today he did the work.
“The most important thing was how he worked today and then him scoring is better for the team. We’re happy for him and how we are adding another player scoring goals doing the work we need.”
Duran’s goal was his first in the Premier League since September. The 20-year-old, who looked likely to leave Villa for long periods of the summer, signed a new five-year contract in October.
Asked if the 20-year-old was now listening to his instructions, Emery replied: “Yes, he is (a good listener). We have to try and stop his impatient moments sometimes but that’s something natural because he’s young and he wants everything quick.
“The process we have now, he is more or less doing. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower but today the most important thing was how he worked during the 60 minutes he played.”
The one blot on the afternoon for Villa was a hamstring injury sustained by Leon Bailey, which is expected to keep the winger sidelined for a couple of weeks. Villa are next in action on Tuesday when they visit RB Leipzig in the Champions League.