**_LONDON_**: Aston Villa and Arsenal both succeeded where Liverpool failed on Tuesday by qualfying for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Villa ran p an easy 3-0 win over 10-man Club Brugge in their last-16 second leg, giving them a 6-1 aggregate victory and setting up a tougher task against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool’s shootout conquerors on Tuesday..
Marco Asensio, on loan to the English Midlands side from PSG, was the star of the night, grabbing a quick double after coming on as a substitute after the break.
Brugge, trailing 3-1 from the home leg, had given Villa some early scares including a glancing header from Hans Vanaken. But the Belgians faced an impossible challenge once Kyriani Sabbe was sent off for pulling down Marcus Rashford as he was bearing down on goal in the 16th minute.
Unai Emery’s team took full advantage in the second half, Asensio swivelling and scoring from close range in the 50th minute after a pass from fellow substitute Leon Bailey.
Ian Maatsen side-footed Villa’s second goal with the help of a deflection seven minutes later, before Asensio swept home in the 61st minute from a cutback by the ever-marauding Rashford, to the joy of a packed and bouncing Villa Park. Asensio has now scored seven goals for Villa since arriving in early February .
**Arsenal through**
Arsenal eased into the quarter-finals with a 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven after a 2-2 draw. Progress was already a formality for the London club after their stunning 7-1 victory in the Netherlands last week and when Oleksandr Zinchenko blasted them ahead in the fifth minute, PSV would have feared another hammering.
Ivan Perisic replied for the visitors in the 18th minute but Declan Rice headed Arsenal back in front from Raheem Sterling’s cross before halftime but PSV earned a deserved reward for a vastly-improved display as Couhaib Driouech chipped in a 70th-minute leveller.
Arsenal’s easy progress was not without a cost as Sterling was booked late on and he will now miss the first leg of next month’s quarter-final.