I have sympathy Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings - this is what Emi Martinez should have done instead

Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet says the decision to penalise Tyrone Mings for his bizarre handball offence in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa was “very harsh” but he has seen similar instances in the past.

The Villans defender, who was making his Champions League debut, picked up the ball from Emiliano Martinez’s goal kick, believing that the goalkeeper was giving it to him to take. The resulting penalty condemned Villa to their first European defeat of the season.

Unai Emery branded the moment as the “biggest mistake” he has seen in his career and decided to substitute Mings 14 minutes later with 31-year-old, who only returned from his cruciate ligament injury last week, on a yellow card.

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Former Liverpool shot-stopper Mignolet had to pull a furious Martinez away from the officials at full-time but sympathised with his opponents. He suggested his counterpart would have been best throwing the ball to Mings if he had indeed wanted him to take the goal kick.

“I am always aware of that, as a goalkeeper I always try to throw the ball to my defender when it happens,” Mignolet said after full-time.

“It is one of those things, you don’t know how the referee is going to interpret these kind of situations. It’s very harsh but I am very lucky I was on the right end of it.”

He added: “I have seen it before and I am always wary of it so I try and throw the ball to my defender. You never know, if the ball is outside the six-yard box and the defender touches the ball the goal-kick has been taken. I don’t know how the rule is precisely decided.

“Goalkeepers are already aware of it, there’s a reason we throw the ball. Sometimes when you rush yourself it goes a little bit quick and part of doing it out of habit you kick the ball to him, then it depends how the referee is going to interpret it.”

Club Brugge boss Nicky Hayen acknowledged the oddity of the event but believes the right decision was ultimately made. "A nightmare for any coach, but a correct decision,” he said.

“It would have been very bitter if it had been the other way round. But it's great that we get some luck too.”