Gary Lineker in awe of Tyrone Mings after Aston Villa v Club Brugge moment
Gary Lineker has been left blown away by Tyrone Mings after Aston Villa beat Club Brugge on Tuesday.
The Villans travelled to Belgium on 4 March and came away with a 3-1 result to take back to Villa Park ahead of the round of 16 second leg.
It was far from a vintage performance from Unai Emery’s side but a late Marco Asensio penalty was enough to secure a two-goal lead.
Things could have been so different if it wasn’t for Mings, who caught the eye with one moment of brilliance in the second half.
Lineker reacts to Mings clearance v Club Brugge
There were a selection of positive elements to the B6 club’s performance during their clash against the Belgian Pro League outfit.
Although Morgan Rogers won the official Man of the Match award, it is fair to say that his centre-back teammate was more deserving of that title.
Despite conceding early on, the England international helped to see out the rest of the game alongside Ezri Konsa and Axel Disasi.
The excellence of his showing was summed up as he somehow cleared a Hans Vanaken header off the line and past the post.
This left Lineker blown away on The Rest Is Football (7 March), as he said: “That’s one of the best clearances I’ve seen.”
Former Villa man Micah Richards was in full agreement as he added: “One of the best I’ve ever seen.
“To get your leg up there with all the knee problems he’s had. The way he moved and shaped it round. It was going in and wow. How on God’s earth has he done that?”
Aston Villa have Mings to thank for Club Brugge win
With the way the game was going, there is no doubt that if Vanaken had have scored, Villa would have fallen to defeat.
The performance was clearly irritating Emery who was eventually booked for showing his frustration, summing up the standard of the showing for large spells.
As it happened, Mings cleared the ball and his side went on to score a fortunate two goals to take a 3-1 lead back to Villa Park.
| Club Brugge | Aston Villa |
| Maxim De Cuyper 12′ | Leon Bailey 3′ |
| Brandon Mechele (OG) 82′ | |
| Marco Asensio (PEN) 88′ |
This puts the power in Emery’s hands in the second leg as a quarter-final spot is available for the winner, with a clash against Liverpool or PSG in waiting.
Supporters will now wait and see how their side get on in the home leg against the Belgians but with a two goal lead already, they should be set for progression in Europe’s elite competition.