RLB POST VILLA

Here's everything Regis Le Bris had to say in the aftermath of Sunderland's mad game at Villa Park...

HARD FOUGHT GAME

"We knew before that it would have been a tough place to go, a top team, well-established, consistent with great players, game-changers, and it was the case. We played our game, with our identity. We were on the edge often, so we had ups and downs, and probably the two starts, the first half and the second half, were not good, and they punished us, which is probably the characteristic of this level. But we stayed in the game, which is really positive. We found a way to be back, and we had this opportunity to win it. Unfortunately, we didn't, and they punished us just after. I think the game was the game expected, so no surprises. After that, it was a question of level, consistency, and obviously, it's not easy, because in theory, you can manage different things, but in reality, it's always different. So we were aligned with what we wanted to do, and I think we showed that it was possible.”

DRESSING ROOM REACTION

"The dressing room is disappointed. It's simple, because we want to be competitive at that level. It's early for us in our journey, but the players want more, and it was a good test for us. Not positive at the end, but I think for our journey, it will be positive."

COMEBACK

“This resilience is key, and this belief that it's still possible to change the dynamic whatever the events and the scenario. It could have been 4-1, because they had one or two big chances, but we stayed in the game, and finally it was a good show at the end. I think at that moment it's fair to say that Aston Villa built more consistency throughout different seasons. Their bench was impressive. Our bench is good, but their bench was really impressive, and so they have different options, good experience, and probably they managed this part of the game better than us.”

BIG DIARRA MISS

“Habib apologised, he felt this was a key moment in the game. I don’t know what the decision-making was, it’s tough to say.”

PROUD OF THE LADS

“It’s important. It’s a new experience and we’re living through positive experiences like this one. We can be proud of our identity and the way we played this game. Villa are a European team and we were on the edge of winning it. This is the big picture. It’s all experience for our journey. We’re ambitious and we want more.”

ONTO FOREST ON FRIDAY

“It was intense and emotional. But it’s where we want to be - sometimes you have to accept the defeat. Digest it quickly and go again. Finally, we found a solution and had a chance to win it."