Unai Emery was frustrated that Aston Villa could not end an impressive year with a win as they drew 2-2 with Brighton in the Premier League.
Goals from Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers appeared to have given Villa a comeback win after Simon Adingra's opener.
But Tariq Lamptey's effort ten minutes from time earned the Seagulls a point as Villa remained ninth in the table, two points ahead of their opponents.
However, Emery felt their performance deserved more, telling Sky Sports: “We more or less played a very fantastic game.
“Only the first twenty minutes did we start lower than planned and we conceded one goal. We responded and came back 2-1.
“I have to accept it, but I am a bit frustrated with it. The table is very tight, but we are in the race for the second part of the season.”
Your support has been sensational throughout 2024, thank you Villans pic.twitter.com/QW6oXZJHAU
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 30, 2024
The Spaniard knew his side's slim lead was always dangerous after they failed to turn their dominance into a more comfortable advantage.
He said: “The result is at risk if you score one goal.
“We created some attacking third plays and the corner we got with Watkins was perhaps the key moment to win the game.”
Despite his disappointment, Emery was still keen to acknowledge the enormity of a year in which Villa qualified for the Champions League, with victories over the likes of Bayern Munich already putting them in a great position to progress to the knockout stages early next year.
“We have to be proud of the year,” Emery said.
“We have to try to accept it and be happy with the results we achieved in 2024. Happy New Year to everyone.”
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, meanwhile, felt his side more than deserved the equalizer and could have gotten more out of the game as their winless run stretched to seven games.
“We deserved to score the equalizer and then had more chances to score the winning goal,” Hurzeler told Sky Sports.
“It's a disappointing feeling because we could have gotten more. We have to invest a lot and I'm sure the happiness will come back.”
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