From shot-shy to shoot on sight: Villa find a way to win

Aston Villa found their shooting boots in Belgium, but the three goals at Club Brugge did not make for a comfortable night.

The visitors controlled the first half. John McGinn opened the scoring and became Villa's all-time record European goalscorer with 12. Emiliano Buendia added another before Nicolas Jackson scored his first goal for the club, taking advantage of goalkeeper Yann Sommer's rush from his line. George Hemmings, making Villa's first Champions League or European Cup teenage start in 43 years, also went close.

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It was so important to show a real gritty performance and get a victory at a very, very tough place to play.

Club Brugge improved after the break. Nicolo Tresoldi converted a penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's clear handball, then struck the post as the hosts applied pressure for the final half-hour. Villa had to defend their lead and show the resilience that had been missing from some of their early attacking displays.

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The players have a responsibility too, the older players need to guide to keep our standard high, to show everybody that this is the only way to achieve our targets.

The victory came after Villa managed only one shot on target across their opening three Premier League games. It also followed a goalless draw at Hull, where Emery said the rebuild had to proceed step by step. The manager now has 10 new players to integrate into his system.

McGinn told UEFA that the result tested the newcomers, including Joao Gomes and Hemmings. “It was so important to show a real gritty performance and get a victory at a very, very tough place to play,” he said. Emery said the older players had to guide the squad and maintain standards. “We did one very important step forward, being resilient when we were struggling,” he told reporters.

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We did one very important step forward, being resilient when we were struggling.