John McGinn is shown a straight RED CARD for a brutal tackle on Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie… as tempers flare on the touchline with Brennan Johnson confronting the Aston Villa captain
Aston Villa captain John McGinn was shown a straight red card by referee Craig Kavanagh for a brutal tackle on Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie, as Ange Postecoglou’s side gain ground on the Villan’s claiming a 4-0 win.
The visitors had taken a 2-0 lead in the second half, with Pape Matar Sarr playing a sensational cross to James Maddison, who tapped the ball in on the edge of the six-yard box to give Spurs the lead.
Brennan Johnson followed up with the second just three minutes later. It was his fourth goal for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, with Postecoglou‘s side breaking forward, before Son Heung-min slid a ball across to the young forward who powered home his shot.
Things went from bad to worse for Unai Emery‘s side not long after with his side being reduced to 10-men. Udogie had received the ball in the far left corner of the pitch and advanced forward, before he was clattered into by McGinn who seemed to have no intention to play the ball.
It was a hard challenge, with the Scotland international coming across to kick the Tottenham full-back’s right leg from underneath him.
John McGinn (right) was shown a red card by referee Craig Kavanagh during Tottenham’s 4-0 victory against Aston Villa on Sunday afternooon
The Aston Villa captain was sent off after he took out Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie with a brutal challenge in the second half
Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min and James Maddison all confronted McGinn as things got heated on the touchline
Udogie, who had fallen to the floor, stood up immediately and appeared to want to confront the Villa midfielder.
But after taking a step in McGinn’s direction he appeared to drop to the floor again, writhing in agony, after the midfielder had caught him on the top of his shin.
Johnson, meanwhile, was furious with the challenge, with he, Maddison and Son arriving to confront McGinn before a mele of bodies clashed on the touchline, that included coaching staff from both teams as well as both managers.
Postecoglou and Emery were both seen trying to pull the players apart, with the Spaniard grabbing hold of McGinn and dragging him away from the crowd of players.
Once the brawl had disappated, Kavanagh wasted no time in showing the Aston Villa captain his marching orders, the second red card of his career.
He’ll now miss their trip to the London Stadium to play West Ham, their following fixture at home to Wolves and their trip to play Manchester City at the Etihad.
Ollie Watkins, meanwhile, described the Villa captain’s sending off as ‘harsh’, but was remaining confident that his side can still qualify for the Champions League.
McGinn will now miss Villa’s next three games against West Ham, Wolves and Man City
Unai Emery said that the Villa captain ‘did not have a bad intention’ when he took out Udogie
‘The sending off I think is harsh,’ the forward said. ‘Obviously it looks a little bit reckless because it’s in front of their bench and a big reaction from their side. It’s obviously a tough one to take.
‘If someone says you lose the game but you finish with 10 men then I’d take that. John McGinn is so important for us. That’s the biggest nail in the coffin, losing him for three games.
‘I believe in us, [Champions League qualification] is in our hands.’
While McGinn left the field, Udogie was able to continue after receiving some treatment from the Tottenham medical staff.
It is the second red card of McGinn’s career (pictured), with Ollie Watkins claiming the sending off was ‘harsh’
Spurs would take advantage of the mismatch in numbers, with Son and netting another two goals score another two goals with Son scoring in the first minute of injury time before Timo Werner would wrap up the match with a fourth goal, the German’s second since arriving at the north London outfit.
‘After the red card it was more difficult even,’ Emery said to BBC Match of the Day.
‘I think John McGinn is always playing with passion. It’s his second red card I think in 600 matches. I think he’s always honest and very competitive. His intention is not bad.’
It means Tottenham have cut the gap to fourth placed Aston Villa to two points, with Villa having now lost two of their last five Premier League fixtures.
