Unai Emery insists he isn’t surprised to see his Aston Villa side flying high in third, even if the club occasionally flies under the radar.

Villa could move just five points behind Arsenal if they beat Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, despite having won only two of their last six league matches.

With an eight-point cushion inside the top five, Villa’s rivals - both above and below them - have struggled to capitalise on Emery’s side losing to the likes of Everton and Brentford at home.

Having beaten Brighton late last week, Villa are now targeting successive home league wins for the first time since their 11-match home winning run ended against the Toffees in January.

Few would have expected Villa to have the chance to move just five points off the league summit with only 12 matches to play, or to hold a strong lead over their Champions League rivals - but Emery was one of them.

“To be there is a surprise? To be there on game 27? Not for me. Yes [for everyone else]. I am so happy to be...