Everything Match of the Day said on Sven Botman controversy in Aston Villa win vs Newcastle United

Sven Botman was central to controversy as Aston Villa secured victory against Newcastle United.

To the surprise of everyone in B6, the Villans have won at St James' Park once again.

A Johan Manzambi header made all the difference to seal a massive three points for Unai Emery's side in a 1-0 win.

The Magpies have faced plenty of negative reviews since the full-time whistle was sounded.

Things actually could have been made worse for the hosts had they been reduced to 10 men.

Botman was central to a VAR review, but should he have been sent off?

Match of the Day mixed on Sven Botman red card controversy

The Villans were able to go up to the north east and secure victory, but life could have been made easier.

A potential game-altering moment came after just 18 minutes when Botman flew into a challenge on Nicolas Jackson.

It came just seconds after a similarly poor tackle from Joelinton as both were shown yellow cards.

VAR opted to take a closer look at the Dutchman, but red card claims were soon waved away.

The Villans weren't happy with that decision, calls which have been backed up by Joe Hart on Match of the Day.

He said: "He went in hard, he went in really hard. He flies in and he can really hurt Jackson here. I think he goes in really aggressive.

"The best case scenario is that he hits the top of the ball. I think he's done well to get a yellow card in that situation."

That wasn't the feeling of Danny Murphy who actually wants these sorts of challenges to go unpunished.

"I want to see players given the benefit of the doubt in these situations and a higher bar. I think he got it spot on."

That feels like a bizarre stance to take, especially given Botman so nearly had a telling impact on the final result.

How Botman nearly made key difference in Newcastle vs Aston Villa

The problem with just "giving players the benefit of the doubt" is the difference they could make if left on the pitch.

That is what happened for Botman, and if not for Zion Suzuki, the result could have been different because of the Dutchman.

The centre-back took aim in the second half as his effort from the edge of the box clocked up 0.25 expected goals on target and required an excellent save from the Japan international.

There was also impact from the centre-back going the other way as he clocked up 10 defensive actions.

He also won 100 per cent of his seven duel efforts as he made life difficult for the Villa forwards at times.

It could be said that he shouldn't have even been on the pitch to make those challenges.

The opinion of Hart is more likely to resonate with the claret and blue faithful, while Murphy will likely face questions.