Aston Villa secured a priceless 3-1 win over Club Brugge in the first leg of our round-of-16 Champions League clash on Tuesday evening.
Villa took an early lead through Leon Bailey, but as our performance lost momentum and we became increasingly untidy and sloppy, the home side found an equaliser ahead of the break.
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It looked as though Villa were set for a tense night at home in the second leg next week, and that still could be the case as we look to defend a two-goal advantage, but a late own-goal and a Marco Asensio penalty have put us in firm control of the tie.
Unai Emery will no doubt stress that the job is not yet done though as the Belgian side showed that they can be a real threat, and so we’ll have to produce a much better performance at home to secure our place in the quarter-finals.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Club Brugge:
Emiliano Martinez, 7.5 – Made a fundamental save in the first half to keep us level, as he displayed his world-class shot-stopping. Too often he’s left exposed by his defence though, and it’s an issue that they have to fix collectively.
Axel Disasi, 7 – Strong performance despite shifting across to right-back. Used his physicality well at times in a decent shift, but Villa did struggle to contain our opponents in wide areas.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Assured in possession as he tried to build out from the back, while he put in a solid defensive effort for the most part. Much like the rest of the backline though, we still look too vulnerable in defence over the course of 90 minutes.
Tyrone Mings, 8 – Provided the assist for Bailey’s opener, before going on to make countless clearances as he cut out dangerous crosses into the box. Made a critical intervention in the second half as he denied Vanaken’s header from nestling into the back of the net.
Lucas Digne, 7 – Similarly to Disasi, he had his moments defensively where he looked in control, but was caught out too with Brugge enjoying success out wide. Sloppy in possession at times too as he ran the ball out of play under little pressure.
John McGinn, 7 – Imposed himself well for periods, as he gave us a sense of presence and control in midfield with his physicality, energy and tenacity. That didn’t last throughout though, as Villa were overrun and exposed defensively as our opponents created openings.
Youri Tielemans, 7 – Didn’t think he influenced the game as well as we know he can as it was a scrappy and physical encounter, but much like McGinn, he got stuck into tackles and duels to try and maintain control for us in the midfield battle.
Leon Bailey, 7 – Brilliant finish to break the deadlock, as he struck his effort sweetly into the corner after timing his run perfectly. Looked a threat at times thereafter when taking his man on, but he will share the responsibility for the goal conceded as he lost his man in the Villa box.
Morgan Rogers, 7 – Battled hard and tried to burst into the final third and create, but it didn’t quite come off for him for most of the game. However, he eventually made a decisive impact as it was his dangerous, first-time delivery that forced the own-goal to restore our lead in the latter stages.
Marcus Rashford, 6.5 – Continues to play with positive intent and wants to make something happen, but it didn’t work that effectively in this one. Had the odd chance or opening but couldn’t convert before being replaced in the second half.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – A difficult night for the Villa frontman, as not only did he pose little threat in front of goal, but he struggled to be our focal point and to link things together in the final third up against physical centre-halves pressing him. Heavy first touch, outmuscled, not sharp enough, it was a tough game in which he couldn’t make an impact.
Substitutes:
Boubacar Kamara, 6.5 – Looked off the pace initially and got shrugged off too easily, but grew into the clash and started to make a positive impact in midfield.
Jacob Ramsey, 7 – Added energy and intent to our play in attacking areas after coming on, as he almost registered an assist for Asensio soon after his introduction. Key part in helping us secure the late win.
Marco Asensio, 7 – Clinical and composed from the penalty spot as he extended our advantage with a decisive moment in the game again, while his positional awareness and technical ability make him an integral option for Emery.
Matty Cash, 7 – Blazed a big chance over the bar, but he injected more energy and impetus into our play and won the penalty for our third goal in what was a positive effort off the bench.
Lamare Bogarde, N/A
