Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish praised his side despite their "heartbreaking" 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

Goals from Robin Van Persie and Yossi Benayoun secured the points for the Gunners, but McLeish has insisted that his side were unlucky in defeat.

"So late in the game to lose it. It was heartbreaking. It was a magnificent performance by our players and we gave the fans something to cheer about in their home ground against one of the elite teams," McLeish told Sky Sports News.

"I'm delighted with the performance, if not the result. And I know the Villa fans approved of that performance. It was much more like a team that I would play under my command. A dynamic performance and no holds barred."

Villa will attempt to return to winning ways when they travel to Stoke on Monday.