'Unfinished business' - Mings redemption has Villa dreaming

When Tyrone Mings inexplicably talented Club Brugge a punishment successful the Champions League radical signifier successful November, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery labelled it "the biggest mistake I witnessed successful my career".

On a nighttime of redemption for the England defender, Mings returned to the country of his howler - and helped Villa instrumentality a immense measurement towards the quarter-finals of European football's astir prestigious competition.

"I was much than blessed to travel backmost present and play successful this stadium again due to the fact that I deliberation we had unfinished business," Mings said aft Villa's awesome 3-1 triumph astatine Club Brugge successful the last-16 archetypal limb successful Belgium.

"I americium precise arrogant of what we person done tonight. I truly enjoyed this game. We played against them [in the league phase] and knew a spot of what to expect.

"The crippled was precisely arsenic we anticipated. We tin beryllium arrogant of some our antiaircraft and attacking play."

Will Villa decorativeness the occupation successful Birmingham connected 12 March, and publication a last-eight showdown with Liverpool oregon Paris St-Germain?

One happening is for definite - Mings looks to beryllium backmost successful signifier aft putting the events of 4 months agone firmly down him.

Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez nudged the shot retired of the six-yard country and Mings, reasoning the goal-kick had not been taken, picked up the ball.

German referee Tobias Stieler awarded a punishment for handball, and Club Brugge skipper Hans Vanaken stepped up to people the lone extremity of the game.

It was a horrible infinitesimal for Mings, who was substituted soon afterwards connected his European debut and his 2nd crippled backmost aft 14 months retired with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

"His mistake is wholly strange," added Emery aft that game.

"It's lone happened 1 clip successful each my life."

On Tuesday, Mings provided a headed assistance for Leon Bailey to unfastened the scoring successful the 3rd minute.

At 1-1, Brugge skipper Vanaken produced a header which was connected people and heading for the backmost of the nett earlier Mings managed to get a captious interaction which took it wide.

"Tyrone Mings was unthinkable there," said erstwhile Scotland winger Pat Nevin, who was successful the Jan Breydel Stadium for BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He stopped it diverting into the wrong of the station and that surely prevented a goal."

Mings made 7 clearances - much than anyone other - arsenic Villa notched their sixth triumph successful 9 Champions League games this play to permission their 1,500 travelling fans celebrating wildly astatine the end.

When asked astir Mings' performance, Emery said: "The archetypal acquisition helium had present was not good. But contiguous helium reacted fantastic, playing focused, serious, redeeming 1 enactment that was a goal.

"Of people I cognize the difficulties successful shot and however we tin person experiences and however we tin get amended and analyse everything profoundly and effort and close it - that is my lone people with the players.

"We corrected thing from the lucifer we played here."

This was Villa's archetypal knockout necktie successful European football's premier contention since the 1982-83 quarter-finals - and Emery's broadside are surely making up for mislaid time.

Club Brugge, who wasted astatine slightest 2 bully chances, volition consciousness they did not merit to suffer 3-1, but Villa person fixed themselves a aureate accidental to spell done to the past eight.

Emery, however, is not getting carried away.

"We are not successful the quarter-finals," the Spaniard was speedy to constituent out.

"There's inactive 90 minutes to play. We're acceptable successful lawsuit we request other clip and penalties due to the fact that I cognize however hard it is successful each match.

"The players, I'm definite they person experiences earlier arsenic good with matches similar that and we person to respect the hostile always.

"They won against Atalanta 3-1 [in the knockout-round play-offs] and they vie precise well.

"We request to ticker the lucifer again with the players to recognize the difficulties we tin look against teams successful Europe.

"I americium blessed but calm, getting balance."