Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-2 in Champions League opener

Aston Villa opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win at Club Brugge, scoring three first-half goals to end a run in which they had failed to find the net in their opening three Premier League games.

John McGinn put Villa ahead in the 11th minute, curling a first-time effort into the bottom left corner after Pau Torres carried the ball out of defence and squared it. The goal made McGinn the club's all-time leading scorer in major European competitions, taking his tally in Europe to 12 and moving him past Ollie Watkins.

Club Brugge levelled through Hugo Vetlesen eight minutes later, but Villa were back in front within three minutes as Emiliano Buendia tapped in from close range after Joao Gomes worked the ball through. Nicolas Jackson made it 3-1 in the 43rd minute, running onto a long ball from Torres to score his first goal since his summer move to the club, and Unai Emery's side went in at half-time firmly in control.

Nicolo Tresoldi pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 61st minute for the hosts, who pushed for a second equaliser at Jan Breydel Stadium, but Villa held on. It was their first win in all competitions this season. Villa managed 21 shots in total, nine of them on target, after registering just one shot on target across their three previous Premier League matches.

The result gives Emery a positive start to League Phase MD1 and eases pressure that had built after a scoreless run domestically. Should Jackson and Buendia keep contributing in front of goal, Villa's underlying numbers from Bruges suggest their Premier League form may soon follow.