
“Don’t do that on the soccer field”.
Tottenham defeated Aston Villa 4-0 in the 28th round of the 2023-2024 Premier League (PL) season at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on Tuesday (Sept. 10). After John McGinn was sent off in the 20th minute, Tottenham scored two goals in the second half to put the game away.
With the win, Tottenham secured a six-point cushion in the race for fourth place. There are now just two points between fifth-place Spurs (53 points) and fourth-place Villa (55 points), who have played one more game. For Spurs, it was a valuable win that boosts their hopes of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL).
There was a dizzying moment. In the 20th minute, McGinn kicked Destiny Udogie hard on the leg as she broke quickly from behind the center line. It was a dangerous tackle, hitting her leg without even touching the ball.
The Tottenham bench, having seen the worst tackle of the game, protested strongly. Udoh angrily approached McGinn, who then went down in pain. Tottenham players such as Brennan Johnson and James Maddison also lunged in anger and a clash broke out. Son Heung-min and manager Unai Emery Villa had to rush to break up the fight.
Referee Chris Kavanagh went straight to McGinn with a direct red card. It was a foolish sending off that completely dampened the mood of Villa, who had come back to life after the substitution. McGinn was forced to walk off the field with a stern look on his face.
Villa crumbled after McGinn’s sending off. No wonder, they were 0-2 down and down to 10 men. With numerical superiority on their side, Tottenham slowly cooked Villa and added two more goals.
According to Football London, McGinn’s ejection was for “serious foul play”. “We have learned that McGinn was sent off for ‘serious foul play’. This is when a player makes a tackle or challenge that could seriously injure another player or uses too much force,” explaining that “McGinn’s tackle was considered a serious foul because there was no effort to play the ball.”
The BBC was also shocked by the incident. “Villa captain McGinn directly sent off! It’s a horror tackle. He lost his balance and went straight for Udogie’s legs. He didn’t even try to play the ball. It’s a clear red card. The Tottenham players are furious.” “To be honest, I don’t see anyone arguing that it wasn’t a red card. The referee was one of them,” he shook his head.
Villa striker Ollie Watkins claimed the referee was swayed by Tottenham’s protests. He added: “The sending off was harsh in my opinion. It certainly looks a bit reckless. It happened in front of the Tottenham bench and there was a big reaction from the bench. It’s obviously a tough call to take,” he protested, adding: “McGinn is very important to us. To lose him for three games is the biggest nail in the coffin,” he lamented.
In contrast, former Aston Villa chief scout Brian King had 사설토토 some strong words for McGinn, criticizing him for his reckless tackle: “It’s a ridiculous challenge. What on earth did he think he was doing?” he sighed.
Meanwhile, prior to McGinn’s tackle, Villa had been criticized for a string of violent plays against Spurs players. Matt Cash has handed season-long injuries to Matt Doherty and Rodrigo Bentancur. McGinn’s tackle was an extension of that.
“McGinn’s tackle was similar to when Cash made a rough challenge on Bentancur, who was just coming back from injury,” King said. That should have been a red card at the very least,” King said, adding, “It’s very disappointing to see a captain play like that.”
“McGinn’s play was the kind of behavior that would land him in jail on the street. The fact that he did it in the first place, and then wandered around like he wasn’t sure if he was going to get sent off, and then caused an incident. That’s not acceptable behavior in football.”