Aston Villa have finally scored a goal(s) and got their first win of the season, beating Club Brugge 3-2 away in their Champions League league-phase opener. Villa raced into a 3-1 half-time lead, before holding out in the closing stages in a genuine test of nerve.
This post-mortem covers a landmark night for John McGinn, who scored his twelfth European goal to become Villa's all-time leading scorer in continental competition, and a complete performance from Pau Torres, who set up two of Villa's three goals before digging in defensively as Brugge pushed for an equaliser. It also covers the growing case for Zion Suzuki's distribution as a genuine tactical weapon rather than a novelty, and an unconventional piece of game management from Emery that worked out, even if it broke a few unwritten rules along the way.
With Nottingham Forest at home up next in the Premier League, this is a show that celebrates the official start to Villa's season and dares to look at the seeds of hope that might evolve into a big surprise for anyone who isn't a Villa supporter.
Now, has anybody seen Johan Manzambi? It's time for him to join the party.
UTV
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