Following Saturday's Stamford Bridge success, Emery was asked whether Villa were in the title race, to which he replied: "Not really. Not really. I have a feeling that we are competing very well, and we are now third in the league with two teams in Manchester City and Arsenal - wow, fantastic teams.
"We have to play 38 matches. We have played 18 and still have 20 to play. Teams like Liverpool, like Chelsea, like Manchester United - we must compete against them. We have to try to be consistent over 38 matches."
Emery was then quizzed whether a win over Arsenal next week would see him change his mind, with the Spaniard stating: "You are asking me now about the match against Arsenal? It's very, very difficult. Now it is 'wow'.
"In the Emirates they are so, so, so strong. The next challenge is the biggest we will face because they are the best team now. They are playing fantastic in the Premier League and Champions League. We have very good players and I try to set our demands high for everything."
Villa are unbeaten on their last two trips to Arsenal, following up a 2-0 win at the Emirates in 2024 with a 2-2 draw in north London at the turn of the year. And Watkins, who scored in both results, praised his boss following Saturday's result.
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