Pau Torres produced an outstanding response to his Aston Villa recall against Club Brugge, registering two assists as Unai Emery’s side opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 victory.
The Spaniard returned to the starting XI in Belgium after being an unused substitute during Saturday’s goalless draw at Hull City.
Emery selected Torres alongside Victor Lindelöf, with Tyrone Mings dropping to the bench as one of three changes identified in Villa’s confirmed starting XI before kick-off.
It proved one of the manager’s most important decisions of the night.
Torres created Villa’s opening goal for John McGinn before producing another excellent forward pass for Nicolas Jackson’s eventual winner.
Pau Torres produces two assists from centre-back
The first contribution came after only 11 minutes.
Torres stepped forward with possession and found McGinn before the Villa captain curled the visitors in front.
Club Brugge equalised through Hugo Vetlesen, but Emi Buendía quickly restored Villa’s advantage before Torres played a direct role in the third.
His pass released Jackson behind the Brugge defence, with the striker beating Yann Sommer to the ball before finishing into an empty net.
FotMob’s match data credits Torres with assists for both McGinn and Jackson and handed the defender an 8.6 match rating, higher than any other Villa player.
McGinn received 8.5, João Gomes 8.3 and Jackson 8.2.
For a centre-back to finish above all three after Villa scored three times says plenty about Torres’ influence.
Torres shows why Emery still values his distribution
The performance was particularly significant after an uncertain start to the campaign.
Torres started Villa’s defeats against Brighton and Arsenal but was then left on the bench at Hull, where Mings partnered Lindelöf.
That created another selection question in a defence reshaped following Ezri Konsa’s summer departure.
However, Torres’ ability with the ball has always separated him from Villa’s other centre-back options.
Our post-transfer-window look at Aston Villa’s strongest new-look XI kept the Spaniard in the side specifically because his left-footed distribution remains so important to Emery’s build-up.
Bruges provided the clearest demonstration yet this season.
Villa had only 36 per cent possession but still produced 21 shots and 3.12 expected goals, compared with Brugge’s 14 attempts and 1.53 xG.
Torres helped Villa bypass pressure rather than simply trying to dominate possession.
For Jackson’s goal in particular, one progressive pass turned defence into an immediate scoring opportunity.
That is precisely the value Emery wants from his centre-backs.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis has arrived to increase the competition, while Mings and Lindelöf remain experienced alternatives. Villa’s Champions League squad also underlines how many defensive choices Emery now possesses.
Torres responded to that competition in the strongest possible way.
Two assists, an away Champions League victory and the highest Villa rating of the night make a convincing case to keep his place against Nottingham Forest.
