'I think we did a fantastic job'published at 20:10 8 March
20:10 8 March
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Unai Emery after Aston Villa's victory against Brentford: "We competed more in the second half. Normally Brentford create more [at home]. We needed to defend and we defended fantastically.
"We needed our goalkeeper. We needed our defence to be strong. From crosses they are dangerous, but I think we did a fantastic job."
On Axel Disasi: "He's here because he wanted to be with us. Today he made one more step forward [in terms of] adapting to us and supporting us."
On Emiliano Martinez and Marco Asensio: "We will see because we have four days [until the second leg against Club Brugge]. Hopefully tomorrow we can start doing something with them. They are very important players for us."
Did you know?published at 19:36 8 March
19:36 8 March
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With an average age of 28y 217d, Aston Villa named their oldest starting XI for an away Premier League game since a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal in March 2012 under Alex McLeish.
Brentford 0-1 Aston Villa - send us your thoughtspublished at 19:28 8 March
Sutton's predictions: Brentford v Aston Villapublished at 11:12 8 March
11:12 8 March
This should be a really good game - it is 11th versus 10th but both teams are looking up the table and thinking about getting into the European places.
It feels like it will be close but I am actually pretty sure Brentford will win it - Aston Villa have been stretched all season and we know they tend to be a bit flat the weekend following a Champions League match.
That's the test for Unai Emery's side here. Can they break that habit of dropping points after playing in Europe? I'm not convinced.
Villa are in a strong position against Club Brugge after their first-leg win in Belgium but, if they are at all tired from that game, then Brentford's energy means they are not a team you would want to face.
I'm going for Villa striker Ollie Watkins to score against his former club, but I am backing the Bees to take the points.
The rest of Villa's season is going to be a balancing act too - I'd back them to beat Brugge next week and make the quarter-finals, and also to overcome Preston in the last eight of the FA Cup.
But at the same time they really need a run of results in the Premier League to help them in the race for the top five. Right now they are still in touch with the teams above them but they have got to be careful not to slide out of contention there.
Emery on team news, Asensio's role and Brentford's evolutionpublished at 14:42 7 March
14:42 7 March
Ben Ramsdale BBC Sport journalist
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League home game against Brentford (kick-off 17:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Emery confirmed midfielders Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana remain out for Saturday's game because of injury.
Pau Torres, Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara all returned to the matchday squad in Tuesday's victory over Club Brugge and he said all three will slowly be reintroduced with more minutes in the coming fixtures.
He said the Premier League remains the "most important" objective for the side, despite still being involved in both the FA Cup and Champions League.
When asked if Marco Asensio is getting closer to featuring in an even bigger role for the side, Emery replied: "Yes, of course."
On Brentford's poor home form and how Villa can take advantage of that: "Sometimes you can perform fantastic and you are not winning, and sometimes you don't compete well and you win. They have had different results but they are performing well. They are deserving more from matches and they are always strong at home - always."
Emery said that Thomas Frank is "always tactically improving and getting better" and added that he has turned Brentford into a "completely different" side than they were five years ago.
Mings contract and Barkley 'the biggest absence' - what's no-one talking about?published at 11:03 7 March
11:03 7 March
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We asked you to tell us one thing - good or bad - that nobody is talking about at Aston Villa.
Here are some of your thoughts:
Rob: Tyrone Mings had the perfect redemption story against Club Brugge, yet he is going to be in the last year of his deal come the summer. Unai Emery might well be deferring any new contract offers for his players until the summer now, and that's fine, but I think Mings still has plenty of great performances left in him. If the first thing Unai does in the next transfer window is offer him a new contract, then that is just as good as a new signing.
Paul: Donyell Malen not being selected for the Champions League could come back to bite us. He was a finalist last year and I find it hard to comprehend.
Noah: The impact of Boubacar Kamara coming back into the frame. Injuries have been consistent in what has been a stop-start season for us, and having someone as dependable as Kamara returning is massive for the business end of the season. He is everywhere and has even proved himself at centre-back. He is undoubtedly our best player and he will show it in the final games.
Prit: If you look at last season, we had a pretty constant and strong defence. Watkins was in form, the Bailey-Diaby axis was working really well, and most importantly we had Kamara and Douglas Luiz anchoring the midfield. In my humble opinion, we have missed the strength of Luiz but our most important player this season so far has been Kamara. When he's not playing, or he's covering in defence, we have missed his strength in midfield.
Pablo: Kamara and Tielemans form a great partnership. Tielemans is the heartbeat but Kamara is to Aston Villa what Rodri is to Manchester City. I'm not comparing the players at all, but I'm comparing the role they play. We are a lot stronger when Kamara is in the team and playing in defensive midfield.
Matt: Ross Barkley has been our biggest absence. He was absolutely key, coming off the bench to close out games for us. He had put himself in a position to start and then sadly picked up his calf strain.
Brentford v Aston Villa: Did you know?published at 16:07 6 March
16:07 6 March
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Following their 3-1 win at Villa Park in December, Aston Villa are looking to complete their first league double over Brentford since the 1946-47 campaign.
Having won 10 points from their first 12 available away from home in the Premier League this season, Aston Villa have since won just four from a possible 27 on the road.
What's one thing no-one is talking about?published at 16:01 6 March
16:01 6 March
Two fine cup results in the past week have proved a real tonic to Aston Villa's hopes of silverware this season given inconsistency has continued to hinder their Premier League form.
With defenders returning to fitness and form, and the impact of January arrivals Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, there does seem to be reason for optimism at Villa Park.
However, you know your club best, so we need your help. Let us know the one thing - good or bad - that you have spotted going under the radar at Villa Park right now.
'To have an asset like that is astonishing'published at 09:18 6 March
09:18 6 March
Media caption,
Villa move closer to quarter-final after first leg win
The Athletic's Rory Smith spoke highly of Marco Asensio after Aston Villa's victory against Bruges.
Speaking to the BBC's Champions League show, Smith said: "Of Villa's January signings, it was Marcus Rashford who captured the imagination in England most because he's Marcus Rashford and because of everything that happened at Manchester United.
"But Marco Asensio has scored in a Champions League final, he's played 70 Champions League games, he was at Real Madrid for nine years - he is an elite footballer.
"He's been around for so long, as a substitute mainly at Real, you maybe overlooked that a little bit. He's vastly experienced, he's only 29 but he's not at the end of his career. For Villa to have an asset like that, who is still getting up to speed, is astonishing.
"Taking the penalty speaks volumes of how the Villa players regard him I think."
Media caption,
Emery's substitutions 'changed the game' against Club Brugge
'The intoxicated and the sober have both got Villa's prospects right'published at 12:08 5 March
12:08 5 March
Mike Taylor BBC Radio WM reporter
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"Mad… crazy… fantastic… unreal… Unai Emery is a god."
Villa supporters tumbled on to the streets of Bruges last night intoxicated as much by the scale of their club's achievement as by any refreshments. Those who stopped by a BBC Radio WM microphone gushed praise for the players and particularly their coach.
Back in the press room, their 'god' was in a more sober mood.
"I am happy but calm, getting balanced," said Emery, "because I know there's still 90 minutes to play. We are not in the quarter-final. I know how difficulties are in each match and how a match can change in 90 minutes. I know it."
Fans are from Mars, and coaches are from Venus, maybe. But although their tone could hardly have been more different, actually they both had it right.
Tyrone Mings put his finger on it. Was he not excited about the possibilities lying ahead of Villa this season?
"Yes, absolutely, but the dreaming is really for you reporters and fans," he said. "Our job is to promise the fans we will always stay consistent, and stay respectful and humble of the challenges that we have ahead of us. What that ends up with us achieving at the end of the season is something for the fans to dream."
After the carnival of the previous 18 months under Emery, this has been a more turbulent season. Whether it can all be explained simply by the workload is debatable but there have been days when Villa appeared physically and mentally jaded. Too many points have been surrendered late in matches.
Yet with less than three months to go Villa are FA Cup quarter-finalists with an apparently favourable draw, on course for the last eight of the Champions League and not so far behind in the Premier League as to rule out a top-seven finish. Failing to reach Europe next season would be painful, but they still have three chances and their squad is arguably stronger now than at any previous point in the season.
They have not yet played consistently at their maximum – they did not last night – but they are now equipped to do so.
In Bruges, business and pleasure came in different forms depending on which side of the touchline you were.
"When you're in it," said Matty Cash, "you're so focused on the game it's hard to get caught up in it. For the fans, it's a better day out, and we're here to do a job and to enjoy it."
'Asensio a top, top player' - Townsendpublished at 11:57 5 March
11:57 5 March
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Former Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle winger Andros Townsend says Aston Villa attacker Marco Asensio is proving his worth for Unai Emery's team.
The Spain international scored Villa's third in their 3-1 Champions League win at Club Brugge on Tuesday and has made an excellent start since his January loan move to Villa Park.
"He is a special, special talent," said Townsend on the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "He always has been.
"He struggled with a knee injury, which stopped him from being world class, but as we have seen since he has been at Villa, he is still a top, top player."
Prit: This really was a game within a game. In large parts, Club Brugge were in control with very sharp and quick passing, but for me above all, this game was about the redemption of Tyrone Mings. He set up Leon Bailey's goal and did an astonishing clearance to keep Villa in the game. While Ollie Watkins was quiet (again), it looks like Marco Asensio is making up for lost time as he put away another penalty. At the halfway mark in the tie, I'm not getting carried away, but I would be so happy with a very dull 0-0 at Villa Park next Wednesday.
Phil: Absolutely delighted with the result of course - not so the overall performance. Felt we were too passive/pedestrian for large parts of the game and rode our luck a bit. When we moved the ball quickly we looked much more threatening. Good to see Boubacar Kamara get some minutes too. Need to be careful next week but we should have enough to see us into the last eight.
Matt: A generous dollop of luck there! Brugge were asking all the questions but two mistakes and we take a two-goal advantage back to Brum. Mings made a heroic clearance and Emi Martinez made some smart saves. Hopefully Kamara can get match-sharp quickly and we can get a lot more control of the tempo in the home leg.
Rob: Mings was man of the match by a mile - let's not get carried away, we could have easily lost. But we still have players coming back and have room for improvement. The best is yet to come.
Colin: Villa still not anywhere near their best but a great result. Bringing on Asensio, Matty Cash, Kamara and Jacob Ramsey made us look sharper and looked more likely to score. Mings did well - he's a great defender. I hope we play positively at Villa Park and see a better performance, but getting through is looking possible. Let's hope it boosts our confidence for the Premier League challenge ahead.
Beers fly in Brugespublished at 07:56 5 March
07:56 5 March
Media caption,
No ticket for the game? No problem for these Aston Villa fans, who celebrated Marco Asensio's penalty in style at an Irish bar in Bruges.
Asensio's Champions League love affair goes onpublished at 22:30 4 March
22:30 4 March
Neil Johnston BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Since their most recent Champions League outing against Celtic, Aston Villa have lost at Wolves and Crystal Palace, as well as dropped points at home to Ipswich.
So it was perhaps understandable there was slight concern among their fans before the Champions League last-16 first leg with Club Brugge in Belgium.
They needn't have worried.
Despite riding their luck at times, Villa took a huge step towards the quarter-finals after establishing a handsome 3-1 lead to take into the return leg on 12 March.
Tyrone Mings was immense in defence, while three-times Real Madrid Champions League winner Marco Asensio continues to flourish in a competition he loves.
When the Spaniard made it 3-1 after scoring an 88th-minute penalty, he became the first player to reach double figures for goals as a substitute in the Champions League - with 10 of his 13 goals in the competition coming from the bench.
Is Asensio the shrewdest of all the signings made during the January transfer window?
The 29-year-old, who has joined on loan from Paris St-Germain until the end of the season, looks like he is loving life in a Villa shirt.
Asensio has five goals in his past four appearances in three different competitions, while Tuesday was his first Champions League goal since April 2023 for Real Madrid against Chelsea.
Image source, Getty Images
