Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard warns players: "Don't feel sorry for yourselves"
Steven Gerrard has warned Villa’s players not to feel sorry for themselves as they look to exact swift revenge on Manchester United.
Villa host the Red Devils on Saturday aiming to bounce back from Monday’s cruel FA Cup exit at Old Trafford.
Much of the post-match talk surrounded the controversial decision to disallow Danny Ings’ second half equaliser as United escaped with a 1-0 win.
Yet Gerrard refused to blame the officials and instead focused on Villa’s failure to take their chances.
He said: “It is quite unique you get this kind of opportunity. We need to not feel sorry for ourselves, we showed over 90 minutes on Monday we are more than a match for the team we faced.
“We need to stick together, first and foremost. We have to recover well.
“The players feel they were good enough to win the game. Over 90 minutes I felt we were at minimum good enough to take it to extra time.
“The reality is they scored a goal, which was sloppy on our behalf, and we weren’t ruthless enough when our chances came along. It is quite clear what we need to iron out between now and the weekend.”
Villa are targeting a first league double over United since 1954 and their first Premier League victory on home soil against the Red Devils since 1995.
