Villa breathe life into their season with win in Brugge

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Club Brugge 2 - 3 Aston Villa

Aston Villa breathed fresh life into their season with a narrow Champions League victory over Club Brugge.

Author | Peter Grainger 

Stadium | Jan Breydelstadion

Villa try to build an attack

First-half goals from John McGinn, Emi Buendia and Nicolas Jackson secured a hard-fought win for the Premier League side in Belgium.

Hugo Vetlesen had briefly brought the hosts level after McGinn's opener, but Buendia and Jackson, with his first goal for the club, restored Villa's advantage.

Nicolo Tresoldi's 61st-minute penalty, awarded after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's handball, set up a nervy final 29 minutes for the visitors, with Tresoldi later striking the post.

Villa held on for a result they will hope can provide a platform to build on after three successive league games without scoring, with Unai Emery still working to integrate 10 new signings.

View from the away end at Club Brugge
View from the away end

The Europa League winners have lost six members of the starting XI from their triumphant night in Turkey, including the £117m Morgan Rogers following his move to Chelsea.

Emery has called for patience, recognising that rebuilding the side will take time.

Yet it was captain McGinn, Villa's longest-serving player, who provided the spark to revive their season, while also becoming the club's record European goalscorer with his 12th goal.

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