Ian Maatsen reacts to ‘memorable’ message from Tyrone Mings to Aston Villa fans
Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has sent a message to fans on social media after the 6-1 aggregate win over Club Brugge.
The Villains booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, thanks to a 3-0 second-leg win against Brugge on Wednesday evening (12 March).
After a tepid first-half, Marco Asensio lit up the show with a two-goal performance from the bench.
The Spaniard once again combined wonderfully with fellow January signing Marcus Rashford, with all four of the Englishman’s assists since joining being for the former Real Madrid midfielder.
The victory against Brugge guarantees the costs of both Asensio and Rashford’s loan deals are paid off.
Following their dismantling of the Belgian champions, Villa will face PSG in the quarter-finals, with the Parisians having already knocked out fellow English side Liverpool.
Tyrone Mings tells Aston Villa fans ‘let’s keep pushing’
Following the win, Mings posted a series of images from the match on Instagram, captioned: “Woke up in the Quarter final, let’s keep pushing to make this season even more memorable… What an atmosphere at Villa park”.
Former Chelsea and Dortmund defender, Maatsen, then responded with two love heart emojis, showing support for the England international.
| Aston Villa next four fixtures | Competition | Date |
| Preston North End (A) | FA Cup | 30 March |
| Brighton (A) | Premier League | 2 April |
| Nottingham Forest (H) | Premier League | 5 April |
| PSG (A) | Champions League | 9 April |
Both defenders featured against Brugge, with Mings still recovering from an injury, causing Unai Emery to replace the defender after an hour, erring on the side of caution with his talented centre-back.
Maatsen’s Villa career has had an up-and-down start, with the fullback yet to fully establish himself at Villa Park, but scoring against the Belgian side will have done no harm to his chances of nailing down the left-back role as his own.
Aston Villa begin to find form in crucial moment of their season
Football Insider Verdict
Villa’s post-Christmas form has been tumultuous, as the Midlands club look to compete on multiple fronts this season.
Last year saw the club make the leap from good mid-table side, to a fourth-place finish, and with it, Champions League football.
However, the impacts of competing in Europe have been plain to see this year, as the Villains struggle to maintain their league form, winning just four games since the turn of the year.
With Villa now sat eighth this season, Emery has clearly put an emphasis on cup competitions, with an FA Cup quarter-final match-up with Preston at the end of March, and their meeting with PSG in April.
Despite a slow mid-season, the Spaniard’s side have now won five out of their last six matches in all competitions, as they look to finish strong, and potentially with some silverware in hand.