Aston Villa’s perfect Champions League start came to an end after Club Brugge beat the Premier League 1-0 after a bizarre penalty.

Referee Robias Stieler pointed to the spot after Tyrone Mings, making his league debut, was caught off guard and picked up a pass from Emi Martinez in his own area with his hands.

Hans Vanaken stepped up to convert from the spot and end his side’s run of 14 games without a win against English opponents.

“His mistake is completely strange,” said Villa boss Unai Emery. “It’s the biggest mistake I’ve seen in my career.”

The penalty decision followed a disappointing first half from Villa, who faced an attack from the Belgian champions. Brugge had seen Vanaken’s effort pushed onto the post before Martinez reacted quickly to keep the ball out in a busy first 45 minutes for the goalkeeper.

Despite Villa dominating the early possession statistics, Brugge had dominated the chances, with Unai Emery’s Villans scoring just one effort on target before half-time, compared to five from the home side.

Villa’s only chances before half-time came when John McGinn headed over Boubacar Kamara’s cross from close range and Ollie Watkins’ wayward strike from the edge of the Bruges area whistled wide.

Emery called for intervention from the bench, with Jhon introducing Duran in the hope of adding to his tally of two crucial goals in the competition so far, but the striker failed to impress.

Defeat for Villa means Liverpool remain the only team with a 100 percent record in the league. Emery’s side have now gone four straight games without a win in all competitions, losing all their last three matches.

Is trouble brewing for Emery’s Villa?

Villa’s defeat at Club Brugge marked the anniversary of Unai Emery’s first game in charge two years ago. In his first Villa match, he comprehensively defeated Manchester United in a performance powered by the atmosphere of a rampan Villa park. Villa’s show two years later was far from that.

The bizarre penalty decision that led to a nightmarish Champions League debut for Mings will dominate the headlines, but Villa were beaten by Brugge throughout the 90 minutes. There was predictability in Villa’s performance, the runs were cagey and the Belgian champions felt comfortable most of the time.

It is a third defeat for Emery’s side and he risks unraveling some of the solid foundations he has built over the past 24 months. Villa’s performance in the Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, while disappointing, could have been bearable had they not turned up at Tottenham and been disappointed again.

Their first campaign in Europe in over 40 years comes with very little expectation and they have exceeded everyone’s predictions by being the best of the competition in the first place, but the concern for Emery will be the nature of their recent run of defeats.

Emery: The mistake changed everything

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery in conversation with TNT Sports:

“We played a very good first half. We created chances but didn’t score. We conceded one chance. We were more or less in control of the game. In the second half the mistake changed everything.

“When they played against them they were strong defensively and very focused in their idea to stop us and play in transition (where) they were better than us. But the key was the first half and the mistake we made. “

During his press conference, Emery added: “His mistake is completely strange. It’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made
experienced in my career.

“We can make a mistake in the build-up, we try to control the games by keeping possession and making stops and we did a fantastic job in the first half.

“We lost one or two balls but we were always in a position to recover, but this mistake is very, very strange.

“It’s not for Mings or Martinez. It’s a mistake that’s strange. It’s only happened once in my entire life.”

Story of the match in statistics…

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