Unai Emery apologises to Aston Villa fans for FA Cup loss but boss still 'proud'

has offered an apology to the fanbase after a heavy semi-final defeat to at Wembley - yet the "proud" Spaniard remains confident that his squad will bounce back stronger. The Villans were undone by a trio of sublime strikes from Palace, with Ismaila Sarr netting a second-half brace after Eberechi Eze's first-half wonder goal.

Emery conceded that Oliver Glasner's Eagles rightfully earned their spot in next month's final, but he seized the moment to encourage his team to absorb the hard lessons of such setbacks as they chase ending a 29-year drought for silverware. He said: "I am sorry for our supporters - but we tried.

"Winning trophies is important because the history of Aston Villa is massive. But our prerogative is the Premier League. We have qualified for the Europa Conference and the Champions League in the last two seasons and now we are looking to qualify for Europe again. This is the message.

"So we have improved. But now is the moment to control and dominate our frustration. We have to use our experiences to get better. I am so, so proud of the players we have - and that's important."

He showed a nod of respect to Palace: "My admiration to Crystal Palace. They deserved to win. We have played them four times this season and they have won three and drawn one, so they are a good team."

Emery has conceded that Marcus Rashford might be sidelined from Villa's pursuit of Champions League qualification due to a hamstring injury that kept him out at Wembley.

Since arriving on loan from Manchester United in January, Rashford has been in exceptional form. Emery revealed: "We will test Rashford for each match but we could be without him for some weeks."