Mings mistake ´changed everything´ as Villa bemoan penalty call that ´killed the game´

Aston Villa bemoaned the controversial penalty decision that condemned them to a first Champions League defeat at Club Brugge on Wednesday.

On their return to Europe’s elite club competition, Villa won their first three matches without conceding, but that run was ended in a 1-0 reverse in Belgium.

The decisive goal was highly contentious, however. Tyrone Mings was penalised for picking up a pass from Emiliano Martinez, apparently believing the Villa goalkeeper had not yet taken a goal-kick.

That error was punished as Hans Vanaken converted the consequent penalty, and Villa could not recover from a moment that boss Unai Emery felt altered the shape of the game.

“In the second half, the mistake changed everything,” Emery said. “A team like [Brugge], they are playing at home, defensively strong, they then focus 100% to stop us. They were better than us.”

Club Brugge 1-0 Aston Villa

Aston Villa’s 100% start in the Champions League came to an end with a disappointing 1-0 defeat in Belgium.

Look back at the game via the Opta data with our Club Brugge vs Aston Villa stats page: https://t.co/kXyYNUtbYN pic.twitter.com/SINaFu1scw

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 6, 2024

Mings’ defensive colleague Ezri Konsa described his frustration at the incident, suggesting Mings would have been sent off had there been a genuine infringement.

“It killed the game,” Konsa said. “If it is a handball, deliberate, then he should get a second yellow.

“He’s on a yellow already, so why not send him off for that then? It killed the game.

“But look, it happened, there’s nothing we can do, we’ve just got to move on from it.”

Villa have now lost three consecutive games in all competitions, matching their worst such run under Emery. They face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool next at Anfield.