Referee drama marred both halves of Aston Villa’s FA Cup clash with Newcastle United, with fans left fuming at Chris Kavanagh’s performance. Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot was sent off in bizarre fashion during the first half for a wild tackle around 40 yards out from his own goal.
Villa were caught out by a Newcastle counter attack, with Bizot finding himself way outside of the penalty area as the Magpies players began flooding forward. Not knowing whether to come or go, the shot-stopper opted to challenge Jacob Murphy for the ball, but ended up slicing him in half around the halfway line instead.
Kavanagh wasted no time in pulling out the red card, with Bizot standing in disbelief after his moment of madness. It was later confirmed that the sending off had been for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
Speaking as part of the BBC‘s coverage, Wayne Rooney said: « He’s caught in such a bad situation, Villa have left him exposed and [Jacob] Murphy has a good touch. He’s in no man’s land, it’s violent conduct. Clear red. »
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Newcastle legend Alan Shearer added: « He was caught in no man’s land, it could’ve been a denial of a goalscoring opportunity, it could’ve been violent conduct. It’s just a crazy tackle. »
But it wasn’t the only moment of contention throughout a chaotic tie at Villa Park, as Newcastle were left furious after Kavanagh gave a free kick for a decision that should’ve been a penalty. Digne blocked a cross with his arm, but the referee adjudged it to have been outside the box, even though replays showed it to be at least three yards inside. No VAR at this stage of the compeition meant the decision stood.
Fans flooded to social media to bemoan the call, with @turpinator1986 posting on X: « That decision to give a free kick instead of a penalty might be the absolute worst decision I have EVER seen in football [laughing emoji]. »
@david_renwick said: « One of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen. He was standing in the box yards in when handling it. »
@markste76948257 added: « Karma but that was worst decision I have ever seen, I’m speechless. »
The Newcastle players were even more incensed as they believed Digne should’ve been sent off earlier in the match. The left-back launched himself into a challenge on Murphy, with replays suggesting he made contact with his opponent’s ankle.
On the earlier incident involving Digne, Shearer remarked: « I think it’s a red card. He’s endangering his opponent. He’s high, he’s late. Very lucky to get away with it. He’s about four yards from the assistant referee, the referee deems it to be a yellow. I think he’s lucky, catches him high, it’s dangerous. »
Meanwhile, the move that had led to the opening Villa goal looked to have involved an offside in the build-up. A nicely-worked set-piece routine saw Tammy Abraham slip in behind, with the striker netting his first goal since returning to the West Midlands outfit.
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