Aston Villa opened their new Champions League campaign with a victory on Tuesday night, as Unai Emery’s side defeated Club Brugge 3-2 in Belgium.
The visitors did the majority of their damage during the opening 45 minutes, scoring three times to put themselves in a commanding position. However, Nicolo Tresoldi’s second-half penalty ensured there was still some late tension before Villa eventually secured all three points.
Nicolas Jackson, Emi Buendia and John McGinn were all on target for the Villans, with McGinn’s strike also making him the club’s outright leading scorer in European competition.
Villa’s first goals of the new campaign came in an entertaining encounter, but which players stood out most during another memorable European night?
Aston Villa’s star performers against Brugge
After drawing a blank on his Villa debut, new signing Jackson was undoubtedly eager to make his mark during his first European appearance for Emery’s side.
The Senegal international did exactly that, taking advantage of a mistake from Yann Sommer to find the back of the net. His overall statistics also reflected just how influential he was in attacking areas throughout the contest.
Jackson completed two successful dribbles and repeatedly made intelligent runs behind the opposition defence, constantly giving Brugge’s backline problems.
The 25-year-old was also impressive creatively, producing three chances for his teammates during the match.
McGinn was another player who excelled in the final third, with the Villa captain once again showing why he remains one of the most important and underrated members of Emery’s squad.
The Scotland international actually created more opportunities than Jackson, registering four chances for his teammates during the game.
His contribution without possession was equally important. McGinn’s trademark work rate saw him register four tackles and four recoveries as Villa battled to protect their lead during the latter stages.
Aston Villa’s worst player vs Brugge has to be dropped
Despite beginning their Champions League campaign with a win, Emery will still have been frustrated by certain individual performances within his squad.
Ian Maatsen endured a difficult evening at full-back and lost 67% of the ground duels he contested during the victory.
The Dutchman also surrendered possession 12 times and failed to create a single chance, struggling to make an impact either defensively or going forward.
However, Maatsen was not the only full-back who failed to impress. Aaron Wan-Bissaka also endured a disappointing first start for the club.
The DR Congo international arrived from West Ham during the summer on loan, with Villa holding an obligation to buy him for around £25m. The 28-year-old was given the opportunity to prove he deserves a regular place in Emery’s starting XI.
Instead, his performance may have damaged his chances of immediately establishing himself in the side.
Wan-Bissaka played 68 minutes before being substituted and conceded the penalty that allowed Tresoldi to score, after he was judged to have handled the ball inside the area.
Defensively, he failed to win any of the three tackles he attempted and was beaten by an opponent twice, including during his battles with Carlos Forbs.
His attacking contribution was also limited. The former West Ham defender managed just a 25% cross completion rate when moving forward.
Wan-Bissaka recorded only 47 touches during the match, fewer than goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who had 49, further highlighting how little influence the full-back had on proceedings.
Following such a display, Matty Cash’s position as Villa’s first-choice right-back appears secure for the time being. Wan-Bissaka will need to significantly improve if he is to seriously challenge for a regular starting role.
There is still plenty of time for the loanee to establish himself at Villa Park, but he must quickly raise his performances if he is to win over the supporters in the West Midlands.
After Tuesday’s showing, however, Emery may be best served leaving Wan-Bissaka on the bench when Aston Villa welcome Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.