Roy Keane speaks out on Matty Cash controversy in Aston Villa draw vs Sunderland
Roy Keane was less than impressed by what he saw as Aston Villa drew to Sunderland.
Villa travelled to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 21 September but were unable to secure their first win of the campaign.
A Matty Cash goal on 67 minutes looked set to kick-start the campaign for Unai Emery’s men before Wilson Isidor equalised just eight minutes later.
This has seen a sizable discourse spill over onto social media, with Morgan Rogers struggling for Villa at Sunderland, and as a result, has come under fire once again.
Despite this, it was a telling moment in the first half that caught the eye of former Villa assistant manager Keane.
Matty Cash dramatics on show vs Sunderland
Having failed to score in the Premier League this season, Villa would have hoped for more from Evann Guessand and Co. against Sunderland.
With the attacking riches on show from the away side, there is no true reason as to why the Villans shouldn’t have been on the scoresheet in the north east.
Instead, it was Cash who bagged the opening goal from range, but it was an earlier situation surrounding the right-back that was the main talking point in SR5.
This came after Sunderland defender Reinildo kicked out at Cash and was sent off for what was seen by referee Sam Barrott as violent conduct.
It is fair to say that Keane agreed with the decision but told Sky Sports Main Event on 21 September that he felt as if Cash had milked the contact to earn his opponent his marching orders.
He said: “He’s given the referee a chance to send him off.
“Ok, Cash probably makes a meal of it, he catches him in, not a great area, but I don’t think he [Reinildo] can have any complaints. He’s kicked out, and that’s violent conduct.”
Matty Cash silenced some doubters for Aston Villa
It is fair to say that the Poland international is a polarising figure at Villa Park, with many less than complimentary about his performances in claret and blue.
This comes after a series of mistakes, with one of the biggest being on opening day against Newcastle, something which resulted in Ezri Konsa being sent off.
With that being said, against Sunderland, he was much more astute, and although the general performance was poor, he did make a positive impact.
| Stat vs Sunderland | Matty Cash |
| Shots | 2 |
| Defensive contributions | 5 |
| Passes into final third | 12 |
| Duels won | 5 |
His goal was a boost to the Villans, and ultimately, he was the only one who was willing to take aim from range and take a risk.
It paid off, but at the end of the day, Villa need to be much better, and Cash will be included in that after his recent performances before today in B6.
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