On a night dominated by transfer news surrounding their two leading marksmen, a hat-trick from someone else, Morgan Rogers, was required to fire Aston Villa directly into the last 16 of the Champions League as Uefa netted yet another victory for their shiny new format.
Capping a memorable first league-phase adventure at Europe’s top table since 1982-83, a night full of drama ended with hat-trick hero Rogers, scoring his first three goals in the Champions League, and teammates huddled around a phone to see if other results had gone Villa’s way.
