Passing into the mouth of danger once and being bitten early did not scare Villa away from their desire to play the same way. When passes were crisp and accurate, they broke through Monaco lines, with Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey all having shooting opportunities.

AS Monaco edged out Aston Villa 1-0 at home in the Champions League on Tuesday, thanks to an early goal from Wilfried Singo, to secure the Ligue 1 side their first win of the year.

Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings, right, passes the ball as Monaco's Denis Zakaria defends during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Monaco and Aston Villa at the Louis II stadium in Monaco, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. Credit: AP/Laurent Cipriani