Nottinghamshire, Dec 15 (IANS): Head coach Unai Emery has said Aston Villa were the better team for long periods but their mentality changed in the final 20 minutes of the affair as Villa fell 2-1 to Nottingham Forest.

Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga's late strike handed Villa their first defeat in four outings. Reflecting on the outcome of the match, Emery called for his players to draw lessons from loss and try to be more consistent in the Premier League table

We are in the process, and we have to understand it. Today was a match, we were on 25 points with Nottingham Forest. They are our rival now," Emery said in a post-match presser.

“We planned the match how we did for 70 minutes, and in the last 20 they started pushing more. We didn’t keep the same idea [and] mentality we needed.

“Of course, being under pressure is more difficult, and this is the process we have to try to learn, and experiences we have to try to take. We lost a very good opportunity today. Try to be more consistent in the table," he added.

John Duran's 11th goal of the season had put Villa on track for a fourth consecutive win, but despite praising the Colombian's performance, Emery focused on his team's collective disappointment.

"Individual skill and quality is very important, but today, most important is [the] collective, and we lost," he added.

“Of course, it’s a good goal for him. Keep going, and try to be stronger defensively. We conceded a lot in 20 minutes, more than normal.

“The first objective we have, always, defensively, is to try to keep the ball possession longer, and better than we did the last 20 minutes," concluded Emery.