Unai Emery has acknowledged that Aston Villa must improve away from home if they want to remain in contention for Champions League qualification.

Villa went into Sunday's Premier League fixture at Nottingham Forest as one of the form teams in the division and with an opportunity to move into the top four in the standings.

However, the West Midlands outfit produced one of their worst performances of the season as they conceded goals at the start of each half to succumb to a 2-0 defeat at the City Ground.

While Villa had their moments in the final third, they lacked their usual cutting edge as they surprisingly drew a blank against opponents who had not won since the start of September.

Emery's side remain in fifth position and within five points of leaders Manchester City, while they hold a four-point advantage over eighth place.

Nevertheless, the Spaniard has admitted that he and his players must learn from their poor showing, with the Villa boss particularly keen to identify ways to produce better results on their travels.

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Speaking to BBC Sport, Emery said: "We started the match very poor but we reacted well, we had chances and opportunities to score. In the second half we started really badly and at 2-0 it is difficult to come back. The players fought until the last minute to try and score but we didn't do it. Of course it is hard to lose but we have to accept it.

"We have to understand every match for us is very important. We have to be strong to keep our defensive ability and to try to get the points by being together. We made two mistakes early in each half and it is difficult to come back.

"We won 11 matches in a row at home and that is fantastic. Away it is a challenge. Today I learned again. We are calm and relaxed, we have to be stronger defensively away and try to work hard if we want to get to be one of the top seven teams in the Premier League.

"I learn when we are winning, I learn when we draw and I learn when we are losing as well. Today is one year since I arrived here. We have progressed and done a lot of work and I am proud of the players, but I want more. To increase the level is the next challenge I have."

Villa have now only collected seven points from their six top-flight away fixtures in 2023-24, also scoring just six goals during that period.

Next up for Villa in the Premier League is a home encounter against Fulham on November 12, three days after they play host to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League.