If you squinted hard enough beyond the brutalist boundaries of this stadium, the redemption arc was visible. For Aston Villa and Tyrone Mings this was a return to the scene of the crime.
It was here in November where Mings gifted Club Brugge a penalty after inexplicably picking up the ball from a goal-kick, but this time his biggest intervention was an improbable goalline clearance to prevent a Hans Vanaken header from nestling in Emiliano Martínez’s net and the Belgian champions from assuming control. The cold reality is Villa toiled despite a dream start on their return to Belgium but it is hard to argue a two-goal advantage is not a significant buffer before the second leg next Wednesday.
