New Aston Villa boss Remi Garde says he was encouraged by his side's gritty performance in their 0-0 draw with Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday.

Garde said he was pleased to secure a point from his first match in charge at Villa Park and was impressed by his side's work ethic throughout the contest.

"We got the point that the team was looking for, for a long time now," Garde said.

"They worked hard for the team and we worked hard on the training pitch for three days. They were concentrated and focused on what I asked for - today I saw some very good stuff.

"We have some good players - they just needed confidence. Today was a very difficult game, but we had nothing to lose so I wanted my players to defend well and when they get the ball to try to attack and cause them some problems."