Birmingham 0-1 Aston Villa: Jack Grealish grabs winner in Second City derby after disgraceful scenes at St Andrews

Birmingham 0-1 Aston Villa: Jack Grealish grabs winner in Second City derby after disgraceful scenes at St Andrews
Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish was attacked by a spectator in disgraceful scenes at St Andrew’s – before scoring the winner to beat Birmingham.The midfielder showed incredible character and maturity to earn a 1-0 derby win after being knocked to the ground by a man in the first half.4

Jack Grealish scored Aston Villa’s winner at Birmingham on Sunday

4

Grealish was knocked to the floor after a pitch invader struck him in the face

The spectator ran out of the home end after nine minutes and threw a punch at Grealish from behind.He was led away by stewards and later arrested by West Midlands Police but only after being caught up in a melee of furious Villa players as Grealish was on the ground.Grealish was uninjured but the incident cast a dark shadow over the derby and ignited fresh debate about player safety.The Football Association will await the referees’ report before taking action with the EFL condemning the violence.The man will never set foot inside St Andrew’s again, Press Association Sport understands.4

The youngster is helped to his feet after the shocking incident

Grealish recovered to score a 67th minute winner and keep Villa’s fading Sky Bet Championship play-off hopes alive, leaving them four points behind the top six.Birmingham sit 11th, a point behind Villa after a second derby defeat this season.Grealish was at the heart of the action from the start and Maikel Kieftenbeld was booked after a rash tackle on him before Jacques Maghoma shot straight at Jed Steer in a frantic opening.Villa’s skipper was then poleaxed by a supporter while in the Birmingham area having won a corner.The 23-year-old’s reaction in not retaliating deserved instant credit and he tried to shake off the shock, threading an excellent pass for Anwar El Ghazi to be denied by Lee Camp’s fine save after 22 minutes.4

Grealish also found the net in the reverse fixture against Birmingham in November

There was little quality in a scrappy and frantic first half with St Andrew’s stunned by what had happened to Grealish.Che Adams fizzed a low drive just wide two minutes before the break but clear chances were at a premium.Birmingham began the second half well but failed to test Steer and Villa came close to breaking the deadlock when Grealish crossed for Andre Green but his goalbound header was blocked by Wes Harding after 65 minutes. But two minutes later Grealish silenced St Andrew’s when he collected Neil Taylor’s pass to shoot across Camp and find the bottom corner from 16 yards.Adams wanted a penalty soon after and Villa’s Conor Hourihane hit the bar from the edge of the box with 13 minutes left.Craig Gardner should have rescued a point with two minutes remaining but blazed over from eight yards before heading narrowly wide in injury time.

---

An underwater search for the missing plane carrying Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson is to take place after cushions 'likely' to be from the aircraft were found
Emiliano Sala: Cushions 'from missing plane' found - bbc.com

---

Arsenal legend David Seaman doesn't understand why the club are signing Barcelona's Denis Suarez, telling talkSPORT: "We don't need midfielders, we need defenders!" The Gunners are on
Arsenal transfer news: Signing Denis Suarez a mistake from

---

Every Premier League team's run-in revealed - from hardest to easiest with eight games to go. What makes the result worse is during their run-in, which is now just eight games, they must
Every Premier League team's run-in revealed - from hardest to

---

Maurizio Sarri's insistence on playing certain players in a certain position is having a damning affect on this Chelsea side. The Italian is an extremely defensive-minded coach who likes to play through the middle of the pitch.
364 Best Brainfood images in 2019 | Champions league, Old

---

Callum Hudson-Odoi made only his fifth start of the season for Chelsea in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg with Tottenham at WembleyChelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi backed up his two assists against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup with an impressive display against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Cup final team news: Chelsea vs Manchester City - Hudson-Odoi

---

Dutch footballer left in disbelief as wonderful chip spins back off goal line. AZ Alkmaar's Mats Seuntjens thought he had scored a superb goal in their cup match. Video. By Josh Fordham
Dutch footballer left in disbelief as wonderful chip spins

---

Fulham vs Manchester City live streaming: Watch online, preview & prediction & odds of the Premier League match on Saturday, March 30, 2019.
Manchester City vs. Everton live stream info, TV channel

---

Tottenham Hotspur have 'held talks' over the transfer of Celta Vigo's Maxi Gomez, to fend off competition from Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid. Gomez will now travel to the Copa America
Tottenham in talks as Liverpool make decision on £43m striker

---

Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard are facing two to three weeks out due to injury, Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed. The forwards each suffered injuries in
Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial could return vs Liverpool

---

Claims Harry Redknapp 'f****d up' Birmingham City are NOT FAIR, insist former Blues boss Steve Cotterill Thursday, 28 March 2019 Former Birmingham City manager Steve Cotterill has come to the defence of Harry Redknapp, insisting is it 'unfair' to suggest he is partly responsible for the Championship club's financial turmoil.
Birmingham appoint Harry Redknapp as manager | Daily Mail Online

---

Tottenham fans slam Mike Dean for 'disgraceful' performance - Arsenal fans love it Sat, November 18, 2017 Tottenham fans are not happy with referee Mike Dean after his efforts during Spurs
Mike Dean appointed referee for Chelsea vs Manchester United

---

When are the UEFA Nations League semi-finals and who do England play? The national team will be playing their UEFA Nations League semi-final in Portugal just five days after the Champions League final
Who can England play in the Uefa Nations League semi-final

---