Unai Emery believes rising expectations are driving Aston Villa’s Premier League surge as his in-form side prepare to face Manchester United on Sunday.

Villa’s 3-1 victory over United in Emery’s first match in charge in November 2022 remains the club’s only home league win against the Red Devils since 1995. However, the Spaniard has overseen a remarkable transformation at Villa Park during his three years in charge.

Aston Villa currently sit third in the Premier League table, just three points behind leaders Arsenal, following a remarkable run of 10 wins in their last 11 league matches.

The club’s current form represents a dramatic turnaround after a difficult start to the season, when Villa failed to win any of their opening five league games and scored just once.

“Be humble and work like we have been doing over the last few years, but especially in the last two months,” Emery said at his pre-match press conference.

“After our poor start, the players committed themselves with me to the demands I have. Every day we try to establish how we want to work, how demanding we want to be of ourselves, and how we can become more consistent.”

Emery said Villa are building on the foundations laid last season, when they finished sixth in the Premier League and reached the Champions League quarter-finals, achievements that have fuelled belief they can challenge for a first league title since 1981.

“Our performances last year are an example and an experience for us,” Emery said. “Sometimes we were performing well and achieving our objectives, but maybe if our demands had been higher, we could have achieved even more.

“That is the reason why, in my third year here, I am very motivated and even more demanding now than when I first arrived.”

The Villa boss is also determined to improve the club’s poor home record against Manchester United.

“My objectives include many things to improve and many targets to set, always being ambitious,” Emery said. “The first one is Sunday — to beat Manchester United.

“In the last 30 or 31 years, Aston Villa have beaten Manchester United at home only three times. That is a crazy number for a club like Aston Villa.”