Lucas Digne red card verdict emerges after Aston Villa incident vs Newcastle United
Lucas Digne could’ve been sent off had VAR been in operation as Aston Villa faced Newcastle United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Eddie Howe’s team travelled to Villa Park on 14 February, with the left-back arguably lucky to stay on the pitch in the first half.
In the 41st minute, Chris Kavanagh booked the French national for a tackle on Jacob Murphy, but it could potentially have been worse for him and Unai Emery.
Former Liverpool ace Danny Murphy believes the 32-year-old’s sending off wouldn’t have been surprising had VAR reviewed it.
Aston Villa culprits of their own demise vs Newcastle United
While Digne was certainly fortunate to stay on the pitch, Marco Bizot gave Kavanagh a rather easy decision just before the break as the goalkeeper was given his marching orders after stopping a Newcastle counter.
The 34-year-old shot-stopper ran out of his box and clearly impeded Murphy as the Magpies broke forward at Villa Park.
One might argue the Villans were trying to be the culprits of their own demise with some of the decisions players made when they were dominating proceedings.
Speaking on BBC One, Murphy said, “I think he could have gone. We have seen players go for that.”
https://x.com/footballontnt/status/2022751105197773011Emery will surely have some choice words for Bizot and Digne at full-time, with the Tyneside club making a comeback after goals from Sandro Tonali and Nick Woltemade.
The Italy international’s second came after the left-back’s handball led to a free-kick, with the game ending in a 3-1 loss for Emery’s team.
- Read More: Villa vs Newcastle ref watch: Three decisions Chris Kavanagh got horribly wrong in FA Cup clash
Unai Emery must surely drop one player after Villa Park loss
Ross Barkley started for Villa against Newcastle and the attacking-midfielder failed to make much of an impact in the game.
The Englishman was hardly involved in the first half, and after the break, the 32-year-old didn’t help out enough defensively.
| Minutes played | 65 |
| Possession lost | 6 |
| Progressive carries | 1 |
| Tackles won | 0/1 |
| Duels won | 3/7 |
Emi Buendia came on at around the hour mark in place of Barkley, and the Argentine playmaker should’ve arguably started the game.
With Emery’s FA Cup dream now over, he can’t afford any slip-ups in the race for a Champions League spot in the Premier League.
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