Aston Villa fans felt pure delight after watching their side secure a convincing 3-1 victory at home to Brentford.
There were nerves before the game as fans descended onto Villa Park. Unai Emery’s men were winless in all eight matches, devoid of confidence and lacking belief.
So, the Spaniard made two changes to the Aston Villa lineup that were beaten by Chelsea, with Tyrone Mings and Leon Bailey replacing Pau Torres and Jaden Philogene.
It turned out to be an inspired decision, as Villa were electric in the first half, scoring three goals through Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash.
As a result, praise streamed in for several stars in claret and blue, with Martin Keown likening Rogers to Dennis Bergkamp and Boubacar Kamara being compared to Rodri.
However, it wasn’t just Rogers and Kamara who stole the headlines as Mings was outstanding in defence for Aston Villa.
Tyrone Mings was colossal in Aston Villa’s win over Brentford
When Tyrone Mings suffered a serious ACL injury against Newcastle United in August 2023, some will have questioned whether he would return to the highest level.
But, the grit and determination he’s shown to battle back to full fitness and return to an elite level of sport is a testament to the Englishman’s strength of character.
Before starting in last night’s win, the 31-year-old had only played one full ninety minutes of football this term – the loss to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.
The only other game he started was in the Champions League, as Mings cost his side with a bizarre handball in a 1-0 defeat against Club Brugge.
However, that moment would have been quickly forgotten about after the fans watched him produce a display that John Townley described as ‘colossal’, with Mings making some vital interceptions and bullying Brentford in the air.
Indeed, the Englishman won the most aerial duels of any player on the pitch (5) and made the second most clearances (6).
Tyrone Mings stats vs Brentford
- 90 minutes played
- 6 clearances
- 1 blocked shot
- 5 aerial duels won
- 52 touches
- 36/40 (90%) pass completion
- (3/3) long balls accurate
The above statistics suggest Mings has forced his way into the starting XI for the visit of Southampton, and this will be music to the ears of many.
Unai Emery calls Mings ‘fantastic’ vs Brentford
Steve Sidwell labelled Mings as ‘superb’ while Emery also reserved some praise for the defensive titan in his post-match interview.
“It’s been a long time since he played in the Premier League,” Emery said via Aston Villa’s official website.
“He played in the Carabao Cup, he played in the Champions League, but he didn’t play in the league.
“This one today was for him, for the team, for the supporters and for Aston Villa. His performance was fantastic and we’re happy for him.”
Hopefully, this display from Mings and Aston Villa can be the catalyst that drags them back towards the Champions League places.
