Emery praises Aston Villa's maturity in Brugge win

Aston Villa raced into a first-half lead through John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and Nicolas Jackson before Hugo Vetlesen and a Nicolò Tresoldi penalty threatened to pull Brugge level, but Emery's side held firm to begin their Champions League campaign with a maximum three points.

The manager felt the performance was built on a game plan his team executed almost to the letter.

"We always prepare to win and adapt to the opponents, trying to impose our positioning and win duels. We had a fantastic first half," Emery said.

"We had so many chances to get more of an advantage. The second half was a bit more equal. When we were 2-0 ahead the confidence was very good, but Brugge scored and we could feel a little bit less confidence than we had in the first half.

"But we finished well, controlling the game like we planned."

Emery acknowledged the scale of the challenge posed by playing away from home in Europe's premier competition.

"Playing away in Europe is very difficult," he said. "They were working with the supporters, who were very excited. They wanted to win. We have a lot of experience playing matches like that, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. This is the balance we try to speak about before the match — to be aware and ready for everything."

With Villa still without a win in the Premier League this season heading into Saturday's home game against Nottingham Forest, Emery pointed to the victory as a platform to build on.

"We took one step forward today and it was very, very important for our confidence and stability," he said.

He praised the contribution of his squad as a whole, including several summer arrivals still finding their feet.

"All the players were giving to the team: John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía, Pau Torres, Victor Lindelöf, and the young players as well like George Hemmings, who is new and progressively getting better and understanding everything we demand. So are Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Ian Maatsen, Boubacar Kamara. We must try to reach our highest standard, like we have in recent years, with the new players understanding the way."