The Second City Derby between Birmingham rivals Aston Villa and Birmingham City was decided by a 67th-minute goal from Villa captain Jack Grealish, who’d earlier been punched in the back of the head by a pitch invader.
In the match’s ninth minute, with the ball in the Birmingham end, a City fan could be seen entering the pitch near the corner flag and hightailing it towards an unsuspecting Grealish.
After landing a punch, he was immediately apprehended and led away by police while blowing kisses to the crowd.
A scary scene as Aston Villa's Jack Grealish was attacked by a Birmingham fan during the match. (via @espnfc) pic.twitter.com/d9lbfg6O6u
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 10, 2019
But Grealish would have the ultimate revenge when scoring the winner at the home of his club’s fiercest rivals.
Jack Grealish revenge goal with bonus someone getting hauled away by police pic.twitter.com/Q9j99l9xcv
— Los (@RichHomieChapo) March 10, 2019
“Best day of my life,” said Grealish. “To come here, captain Aston Villa and score the winner is what dreams are made of, especially for me as a Villa fan. I was just unaware at the time, I was walking into position and then just felt a whack around the side of the face. Obviously there’s rivalry and stuff in football but I don’t think there’s any place for that really. I just tried to get on with my job. To score the winner was unbelievable, after what happened in the first half I think it was set up for it.”
It goes without saying, but Birmingham City announced that the supporter has been banned for life. The club has said it will support any further punishment the individual may face in the eyes of the law.
To compound it all, the victory sends Villa above Birmingham in the Championship table. Villa sits ninth with 51 points, Birmingham falls to 11th on 50.
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