Captain John McGinn apologised to Aston Villa’s fans as he admitted their first-half capitulation in Sunday’s 4-0 defeat at Brighton was “far, far away” from established standards.
John McGinn of Aston Villa complains to referee Peter Bankesplaceholder image
John McGinn of Aston Villa complains to referee Peter Bankes | Getty Images
Without striker Ollie Watkins, Villa conceded four times inside 31 minutes and were down to 10 men before half-time following Joao Gomes’ dismissal on his Premier League debut for the club.
Unai Emery’s side looked short of quality at the Amex Stadium, having sold key players Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa since last season’s Europa League triumph.
England international Watkins, who is reportedly pushing for a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez were absent in Sussex and could also leave this summer.
Midfielder McGinn told Villa’s website: “We obviously apologise to the supporters, it’s not easy to travel. It costs a lot of money, takes a lot of time, and they don’t want to come here and see their team lose by four goals by half-time.
“On the flip side, 4-0 down at the Amex with 10 men, we really had to stand up in the second half. We had a chance to puff our chests out, be men and fight, and we did that.
“We’re obviously disappointed. We’ve set standards, and that’s far, far away from that.
“There’s a part of me that’s proud of how we reacted because today could have gotten away from us and got messy. A lot of pride in the second-half performance.”