UNAI EMERY HAS said Tyrone Mings’ calamitous gaffe which condemned Aston Villa to Champions League defeat at Club Brugge was the biggest mistake he has witnessed in his managerial career.
The centre-back inexplicably picked up a short goal-kick by Emiliano Martinez without knowing referee Tobias Stieler had restarted the game.
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Brugge captain Hans Vanaken converted the resulting 52nd-minute penalty to earn a 1-0 victory for the Belgian champions and end Villa’s three-game winning start to life in the Champions League.
It was a moment of madness by Mings, making his first start in the competition, but he may feel hard done by as Arsenal defender Gabriel was spared in the exact same circumstances against Bayern Munich in last season’s quarter-final.
On that occasion Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg did not penalise, saying it was a “kid’s mistake” and not in the spirit of the game to award a penalty.
Stieler did not have the same outlook and Mings was punished.
“His mistake is completely strange,” Emery said. “It’s the biggest mistake I witnessed in my career.
“We can make a mistake in the build up, we work to try and control the games through keeping possession and trying to stop the possession and we did that in the first half fantastic.
“We lost one or two balls, but we were always in the position to recover, but this mistake is very, very strange.
“It’s not for Mings or Martinez, it’s one mistake that’s strange. It’s only happened one time in all my life.”
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Watch: Unai Emery labels Tyrone Mings' penalty 'biggest mistake I witnessed in my career'
UNAI EMERY HAS said Tyrone Mings’ calamitous gaffe which condemned Aston Villa to Champions League defeat at Club Brugge was the biggest mistake he has witnessed in his managerial career.
The centre-back inexplicably picked up a short goal-kick by Emiliano Martinez without knowing referee Tobias Stieler had restarted the game.
Brugge captain Hans Vanaken converted the resulting 52nd-minute penalty to earn a 1-0 victory for the Belgian champions and end Villa’s three-game winning start to life in the Champions League.
It was a moment of madness by Mings, making his first start in the competition, but he may feel hard done by as Arsenal defender Gabriel was spared in the exact same circumstances against Bayern Munich in last season’s quarter-final.
On that occasion Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg did not penalise, saying it was a “kid’s mistake” and not in the spirit of the game to award a penalty.
Stieler did not have the same outlook and Mings was punished.
“His mistake is completely strange,” Emery said. “It’s the biggest mistake I witnessed in my career.
“We can make a mistake in the build up, we work to try and control the games through keeping possession and trying to stop the possession and we did that in the first half fantastic.
“We lost one or two balls, but we were always in the position to recover, but this mistake is very, very strange.
“It’s not for Mings or Martinez, it’s one mistake that’s strange. It’s only happened one time in all my life.”
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