Unai Emery rues Tyrone Mings handball error in Aston Villa defeat to Club Brugge - ‘The mistake changed everything’
Published 06/11/2024 at 21:09 GMT
Unai Emery was left frustrated after Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League. A bizarre handball from defender Tyrone Mings resulted in a penalty which proved the difference between the two teams. The result ended Villa’s unbeaten streak in the Champions League and leaves them with just one win ahead of their last five matches with a trip to Anfield next.
'The mistake changed everything' – Emery delivers verdict on Mings handball
Video credit: TNT Sports
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery admitted Tyrone Mings' mistake "changed everything" in his side's defeat to Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.
After a tight first half, Villa looked very much in the match until the moment early in the second half. Mings picked the ball up in the box, not aware that Emiliano Martinez had already taken his goal kick.
It was a pivotal moment in the match and one that got the home fans at the Jan Breydel Stadium on their feet. The febrile atmosphere only increased as the second half wore on, and the pressure of chasing the game told on Villa.
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“We played very good first half, we created chances to score but didn’t score,” Emery said after the match.
“We conceded one chance from them but we were more or less under control, and of course we knew how it was away. But the second half, the mistake changed everything.
“Because one thing like that, when you are playing at home, defensively you are strong. Then you focus, play 100% in the area to stop us and they were better than us [at that].”
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‘It killed the game’ – Konsa questions referee for penalty decision against Mings
Video credit: TNT Sports
The incident itself was the big talking point, with a similar moment last season between Arsenal and Bayern Munich not resulting in a penalty.
“It’s for the referees and the VAR for me,” said Emery, refusing to be drawn on the legality of the handball.
Defender Ezri Konsa, meanwhile, cut a frustrated figure after the loss, admitting there was little time for Villa to regroup with a big game to come against Liverpool this weekend.
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“To be honest, I didn’t see it,” he said. “I just saw the players running to the ref and saying handball.
“And you know, it’s just one of those ones - I think it kills the game, it was 0-0 and if it is a deliberate handball, he has to get a second yellow. He’s on a yellow already, so why not send him off for that then?
“I think it killed the game - it was a mistake but it was not a mistake that we make, that we want to make. Nothing we can do now, just got to move on from it.”
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